


Akiki Squid

by kimoisuki



Series: KARIMONOGATARI [1]
Category: Bakemonogatari
Genre: Gen, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Mentions of Suicide, Nihilism, Paranormal, Supernatural Elements, Usual Monogatari "Gags"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:47:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26258164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimoisuki/pseuds/kimoisuki
Summary: “Don’t overthink it, it’s all surface level anyway.”Numachi Rouka, a few months after her injury and the start of her journey as a Devil, falls into another situation with an oddity: a Squid, unwilling to let go.
Series: KARIMONOGATARI [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2031013
Comments: 12
Kudos: 36





	1. Chapter 1

Before we get into this whole ordeal, I want to get one thing straight: don’t expect a happy ending. 

No one learns anything.

The princess rots in the castle tower while the townsfolk weep.

Less of a story and more of a depressing afterword.

I’m not stubborn enough to admit there is no good in this world, but I’m not blind enough to reject the fact that for some, misery is their only company. A constant repetition of turmoil populating their day to day lives, a trade between the good will an average person is born in with events that damage, events that can plague and corrupt you into a being no one can recognize anymore. I’ve grown accustomed to second hand accounts of this damage, so I can no longer turn a blind eye.

Many have made the argument about this being an act of balance; every single good event created has an equal reaction in the opposing end. I reject this notion. I am a firm believer of an imbalance, that all of the misery and the pain only amounts to a percentage of what a good deed is worth. For every positive, a thousand negatives.

At least they amount for something.

Now, let’s get started. Role call. You may call me “Devil-kun”, or “Devil-sama”, or “The Wandering Devil” as many know me now. I’ve gone by many names in the past, too many to count, but there always seems to be a starting point for everything. 

Numachi Rouka.

The name doesn’t have much significance to me nowadays, nor does it have any lasting power in any conversation. If I had to pit “Devil-sama” against “Numachi”, there would be a clear winner the second the game starts. Even so, I have some small attachment to my name, due to how long I’ve spent with the title and how much power names can have over someone who exists.

But this isn’t about me.

Well, in a sense, it is.

In fact, among all the tales of woe, despair, anguish, and gloom I’ve collected, this story may be one of the few where I had a role. One of the main cast; one of the names you see during the opening credits, one that plays a pivotal role. This, of course, was not from my own volition. In a way, I tried to forget this.

In fact, I have forgotten about this.

In fact, I had no memory of this in the first place.

But now I remember. I remember everything.

It’s up to you to believe if I regret any of it at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cover by: @poizonizland


	2. Chapter 2

To set the stage: July 17th.

Two weeks since arriving in the small town of ██████.

Two weeks since I’ve gotten wrapped up in something I didn’t want to get wrapped up in.

Forgive me for starting _in medias res_ , but I don’t recall memories in chronological order.

I’ve spent the day uneventfully, pacing my time in-between callers by watching the cars go by outside my lodgings. Normally I’d have an uptake of callers around noon, but it seems I’ve had a bit less than the average so far; despite the fact that the exams were over and summer vacation was just around the corner. Was my clientele preparing for high school? I doubted that, since they were mainly an age range of first year middle school students these past two weeks.

Well, I had time to dwell on it, but did not have the energy to do so.

It’s nothing too important.

My lodgings were comfortable, having situated myself in an abandoned house in the outskirts of this beautiful village. A spot just by the river, a bridge outside my window. Although the home was halfway burned down, it still had a roof and it still protected me from the elements. This was heaven, considering my previous lodgings. When you’re young, you always dream of sleeping on a park bench during a cool night; but at the end of the day you give up on petty dreams such as these.

The outskirts seemed to be frozen in time, like the mechanisms of modern industry gave up on it and went on it’s merry way; much to the dismay of its general population. I think that’s why I’ve grown to like it here, less visual pollution and more simplicity. I was a fan of the simplistic, and most modern designs in the architecture of this village was leaning into romanticism of the past. The older buildings, ironically, had less of the Muromachi-inspired design philosophy these town leaders had in place and borrowed more from western influences. Less flair, but it was easier to look at.

It was all I could really ask for.

I can just sit back, listen to the sounds of the cars going by, and do my job.

During this time, I get some more calls of interest.

This girl was yelled at by her best friend for some misunderstanding. She felt angry that her friend would do something like that, and wished she could repair the damages.

Forget about it. Just let it go. I’ll take care of it.

This girl lost all the money her parents gave her in gambling. She was going to buy her little brother a new game as a present, now feeling guilty she can’t be the supportive big sister she always wanted to be.

Forget about it. I’ll take care of it. Just relax.

This boy hurt his friend group with a lie and can’t approach them again. He’s afraid they’ll turn the whole school against him, just like they did to his best friend; a best friend who moved away due to such bullying.

I’ll handle it. Don’t worry about it. Just have a good day today.

This girl is calling about her friend’s little sister, who seems to be excluding herself from the family.

Forget about it. Just let it-

“Is this what you tell everyone, Devil-kun?”

Oh. I know this voice.

“Ah, Tamatsu. It’s good to hear from you again. Did you do well on your final exams?” I asked, avoiding the question.

“You know I didn’t. I appreciate your attempt at humor, Devil-kun, but exams were a week ago and we have talked many times since then. You know my grades by this point.”

“Ahaha, nothing gets past you, Tamatsu. I’m glad to hear you in good spirits.”

“I’m not in good spirits. In fact, I am in quite the opposite of good spirits.”

“Don’t you call those ‘bad spirits’?”

“No, you don’t. Also, I am not haunted, so that cannot be it.”

“I don’t think you could feel if you were haunted or not, Tamatsu.”

“Are you talking about this from experience? Does your life as a Devil also occupy ghostly space? It would explain a lot of things about you.”

Ouch. A few thorns today.

“Hey hey, I wouldn’t say that, I’m only stating my opinion. I haven’t seen many ghost movies, but don’t those possessed see nothing wrong with themselves until it’s too late?”

“They sense something is wrong but believe it to be nothing until a pivotal point, so you are half right. They feel uncomfortable, but say it’s a stomach ache or a bad mood, thus falling into a trap laid by the ghost’s planning.”

“Just like you, Tamatsu.”

“That’s to suggest I’m possessed, which I’m not. I would know. I am in a bad mood, but I do not have an upset stomach nor am I remotely uncomfortable.”

“Those are the qualifying points for possession?”

“In fact, I feel more comfortable than I have ever felt in my life.” she spoke, sounding as serene as she could be.

“I don’t know how you can feel so comfortable if you’re in a bad mood.”

“You can feel comfortable in a bad state of mind, Devil-kun.”

 _You can find comfort in the unease_ , she continued. I wanted to argue, but I agreed with her. Something was comfortable about deep unhappiness, almost like taking a steam bath. Still, we were avoiding the topic at hand.

“Tamatsu, you called me for a reason, right?” I asked.

“Yes, I did. It involves a friend of mine and her sister. Her sister has been avoiding the family and staying out long hours.”

“Tell her to give me a call, I’ll help her straighten out.”

“It’s not that kind of issue.”

“...”

Of course, I should’ve seen this coming.

Well, better hear her out.

“I understand. Give me more information and I’ll look into it.” I said, getting out my notepad.

“Forgive me but I’d rather talk to you face to face, Devil-kun.”

“Are you one to worry about a cell phone signal being tapped? Just tell me.”

“...”

“...”

“... No. I refuse.”

I thought I got used to this by now.

I wasn’t.

“Ugh... Can you provide a reason for me?”

“I want to see your face again, Devil-kun. It’s been some time since I’ve seen you.”

“That’s not a good excuse.”

“Do you need a good excuse? Is the excuse for me, or for you?”

“.... Fine. I’ll be there in an hour.”

“Thank you so much, Devil-kun. I’ll wait for you.”

Click.

She lied. She saw me two days ago.

Well, too late to back out now.

I put my phone away and began to put on decent clothing. Tamatsu doesn’t have the same standards as others when it comes to decent attire, but I’d rather not walk outside in my underwear. I like keeping my relationship with the neighbors strictly platonic.

As I exited my home, I began to think about the situation Tamatsu has presented me.

Oh, right. I forgot to mention.

Tamatsu is the first friend I’ve met since I arrived in the village.

Well, not really. I didn’t value her as a friend, nor did I have feelings that would be considered strong towards her. She was just a wellspring of delusion I’ve grown fond of.

Tamatsu Uchuu. No, despite what the kanji says, her name is not Sora or Umi or Kanata. It’s _Uchuu_. It’s kanji rarely used for a surname, but someone had the bright idea to give her the name; even with kanji so commonly used that it almost seems like a death sentence.

Tamatsu Uchuu was my first client as The Wandering Devil of the village, as well as a contributing factor in my first time playing an active role; directly helping someone else. Not that it was my choice, but I wouldn’t say I dislike the outcome.

She was a normal high school girl with normal high school friends and went to a normal, pleasant high school. Her grades were high, the school looked up to her, and her parents loved and appreciated her. She had her whole life going smoothly. She could go to any college she wanted and do whatever her heart desires. Of course, it’s never that simple.

I forgot to mention. 

Tamatsu Uchuu believes herself to be an alien. 

An extraterrestrial.

A visitor from outer space.

You can see why I’ve grown fond of her.

Why would a successful high school student believe in these delusions? Why would someone like her throw her mental health in disarray for a lie? I still don’t have a clue, but it’s part of why I like hanging around her.

I want to crack the case. I want to learn why she believes what she does.

Besides the situation with Tamatsu, the last two weeks have been more uneventful than anything. She was able to provide me with a good few callers due to word of mouth, but it was rare pickings for such a small town that should be prone for trifling activity. 

Well, I couldn’t complain, since having a break from misery can be nice. This lets me take a breather and reorder my activities, straighten out my goals and mindset.

I didn’t talk about my services too, did I? Well, there’s nothing to say besides the obvious.

I collect misery.

Those who have a misery —a particular issue that no one else can solve— they contact Devil-sama and she eases their worries and handles the situation.

Well, I tell them I do. In reality, I do nothing and as time passes, the issue resolves itself in an almost poetic fashion.

Of course, there’s issues that time can’t solve, so I pass those by the proper channels. Police officers, parents, teachers; anyone who can handle the situation in depth.

No one is hurt, everyone is helped in some way. All they have to do is tell me their problems and it gets resolved, either by time or those better suited for the issue.

It hasn’t failed yet. The only time I’d say it failed was the situation with the shooting star, and even then it all worked out in the end.

Even if Tamatsu was hurt. It’s fine now.

She’ll feel better over time.

She’ll get over it.

During this talk about my activities, I’ve nearly arrived in Tamatsu’s quaint neighborhood. She had a few stores located near her apartment complex, so I decided to drop by a corner market and pick us up some tea and snack cakes. I could’ve told her to make me some tea from her own supply, but it felt rude to ask at this time.

After picking up some tea and a few snacks, I walked up the stairs to her apartment number, #306. The apartment building was in newer condition than my usual dwellings but they didn’t have the heart to provide an elevator. I was used to it.

I knocked a few times on the door, rather loudly in fact.

I knew she went right back to sleep after our previous call.

It’s rude to wake someone up this way, but she requested it in the first place.

Tamatsu opened the door slightly, the chain lock still in place.

“Devil-kun, you’re here early.”

“I’m ten minutes late, Tamatsu.”

“I expected you to be here thirty minutes late, so you’re early.”

“You know, insulting those with disabilities isn’t very nice. What if your parents heard what you were saying?”

“They aren’t here. They don’t visit during the weekdays and if they did, I would be worried that father lost his job.”

She momentarily closed the door to unlock the chain, then opened the door wide enough for someone to enter.

Tamatsu Uchuu was wearing her school’s summer uniform, despite skipping school today. It was neatly done, the only semblance of rebellion being the star-shaped pin laid in her hair. Besides the massive bags underneath her eyes, she looked like the perfect student she once was.

“Please come in. I don’t want anyone to see you here.” she said, hand on the doorknob.

When you walk into Tamatsu’s apartment, the first thing that you would notice was the lack of decoration in her home, as it featured little furniture and nothing resembling window dressing. It almost felt like entering an empty room.

As I sat down at her small dining table, I began taking out the gifts I’ve obtained previously.

“You didn’t have to bring me these, Devil-kun.” She spoke.

“Consider this payment for giving me information today.”

“I already owe you my life. That’s adding onto my debt.”

“Then instead of payment, you can think of this as a way for you to stop poisoning yourself.”

“Poisoning myself?”

“I’ve never seen anyone drink sparkling water that wasn’t slowly dying.”

“Then you should get your eyes checked.”

She began unwrapping one of the snack cakes.

“But, I am truly grateful, Devil-kun. There’s little that can compare to your kindness. In fact, I can say your kindness is unmatched by the gods themselves.”

“I really don’t want to bring the gods into this, Tamatsu. It’s bad news.”

“You’re a person of superstition?” She said, opening another snack cake.

“I’m a person who knows when not to stick their hands in the nest. It’s all I’m saying.”

“Once again, I feel you’re talking from experience.”

“That reminds me, what did you mean by ‘occupying ghostly space’ previously? I’ve been trying to wrap my head around it for an hour.”

I genuinely was curious. It came out of left field.

“Oh, that? I was pondering if your status as a Devil also impacted your perception in otherworldly activities.”

“I couldn’t really say, Tamatsu. I would say my vision is equal to yours when it comes to that kind of thing.”

“If you’re speaking about gods as though they are a nest of bees, then you know more than I.”

Ugh. She got me there. Tamatsu was a smart cookie, despite her limited mindset.

“Well... you could say that.” I admitted.

“I will say that. You, as our town’s Wandering Devil, have more of an understanding of otherworldly apparitions than anyone.”

“I’m going to disagree with you here, Tamatsu. I had assistance in helping you find that star by someone much more qualified than me.”

“Oh, you were assisted? By who?”

“Well... That’s confidential information.”

Mentioning this was very risky, but I didn’t like being put on a pedestal. My colleague was someone who didn’t like being put on the spot either, so I’ll apologize to them later.

“Hmph. I’ll leave that alone for now. It still doesn’t change the fact you’re the only one I can go to for situations such as these.”

She finished off her third snack cake and drank the remainder of her tea.

“I have a friend in high school. Yoshikata Yumeko. ‘Yoshi’ written as good luck, and kata written as shape.”

“With a name like that, they’re probably in good standing.”

“On the contrary. They’re closer to where you live, Devil-kun.”

“Oh, I should apologize to her when I see her. What’s the kanji for her given name?”

“I forgot.”

Urk. I don’t know if this was being purposely difficult or if she really forgot.

“Her sister, Akiki-chan, has been staying out for long hours and avoiding the rest of her family. Yoshikata told me that it started a few months ago, but got worse and worse over time.” Tamatsu spoke, scratching her temple.

“It does seem like my jurisdiction, but you’ve stated this before. It could’ve gone through the proper channels.”

“I’m not finished. I bugged Yoshikata for more information, and she told me Akiki-chan went on a personal field trip about a year ago and came back changed in some way.”

“In what way?”

“I’ve known Yoshikata for a few years, so I was able to meet Akiki-chan a couple of times. She was always a little angry, what you would consider a hot head, but she always seemed to have a heart to her. From what Yoshikata told me, she became... less strong willed than before.”

“So the personal field trip made her less of a hot head.”

“Well, not just that, of course. There were a variety of things Yoshikata told me, but the main issue was how her strength seemed to have been lowered. Almost watered down, in a way.”

“You think something happened on the trip that could’ve softened her approach?”

“I don’t think so. I know.”

“Again, it doesn’t look like something I should have to take a hands-on approach for.”

It didn’t seem like anything at all. Sure, it was suspicious for a little girl to have a personality shift from one event, but it wasn’t uncommon.

Everyone grows up in their own way. Sometimes it’s gradual, and other times it’s a strong turn.

It’s a part of growing up.

“I still disagree, Devil-kun. I think it’s the work of another otherworldly figure. Growing up can’t happen at a whim of chance. Something happened that only a few of us can explain.”

“I think you’re overthinking it.”

“I know I’m not.”

“Well, you know what you know.”

“And there are things I wish I didn’t know.”

I wasn’t used to Tamatsu like this, so my guard wasn’t strong enough for this kind of behavior. I took the last remaining snack cake and considered my options.

I barely know this Yoshikata, nor her little sister.

Even though I spent quite a bit of time with Tamatsu, there was no reason for me to act on her whim.

There was no reason at all for this.

But...

Maybe there was.

There was a possibility, as small as it could be, that this situation involved something particular.

Something interesting that I have sought to acquire.

...

Was that reason alone worth the effort? I could just run away from this and go back to my services. Tell this little Akiki to call back later so her issues can be resolved.

...

I decided.

I wasn’t going to do that.

“Alright, Tamatsu. You got me. I’ll take a hands on approach.”

“As I knew you would do. I’ll give Yoshikata a call to let her know the issue will be resolved.”

“I wouldn’t say that yet, just tell her I’ll look into it before I handle it.”

“Are you afraid your abilities as our village’s Devil aren’t up to the challenge?”

“I’m more worried that this will cause more trouble than it’s worth. I don’t like taking an active role in these things, you know.”

“I do know, but there are situations that can’t be handled by your normal approach.”

“Name one.”

“Okay, I’ll play this game. Imagine a TV drama with a strong cast of actors, all perfectly suited to their roles. Over the years, the characters become stronger as the actors become closer, like a tight knit group building off of one another.

“Now imagine one of the producers quits their job and is replaced by another, who shuffles the production around and replaces actors and members of staff with others. The new coworkers are able to do their jobs correctly, but everyone else is unable to do so due to the discomfort of being around someone new. Thus, the TV drama itself loses quality.”

“I don’t know where you’re going with this.”

“Would you say that this is something you can deal with using your usual methods? Once you disrupt a balance, it never comes back to its original state. They could never recapture the magic the show previously had.”

“Well, of course they couldn’t. Lightning can’t strike twice, and all that. But it’s not something you can worry about. Over time, the public will grow fond of the new dynamic and appreciate it for its strengths.”

“You think that can happen, Devil-kun? That it’s okay for a soul of a product to be exchanged like that?”

“I think it’s more than okay. It’s all underneath the surface anyway, so why worry about it so much?”

Just let time pass by and it will sort itself out. It’s something to believe in.

“I’ll consider it. Once again, I appreciate you for accepting my request, Devil-kun.” She spoke, standing up from her chair and collecting the trash on the table.

“There’s nothing better to do today, anyway.”

“Yoshikata informed me Akiki-chan likes to stay within the area of Nijigahara Middle School. From what I’ve heard, she set up shop underneath a large tree near the soccer field.”

“Set up shop?”

“I’ve heard rumors, unsubstantiated of course, that Akiki-chan was operating an illegal gambling table outside of school during weekdays. If it’s true, it’s a wonder how she has not been caught as of yet.”

Well, I’ve heard of stranger situations.

In fact, I was talking to one right now.

“Tamatsu, I have to ask this again. Do you... still believe you’re an alien?” I asked as I sat up from my seat, following her into the doorway.

“Believing in facts is a strange way of thinking, Devil-kun, but in a way I still do. Nothing’s changed since I’ve arrived, but my parental figures have treated me with kindness for the duration so there’s no reason for me to try to go back now.”

“That’s not what you told me when I first met you.”

“I was in a different state of mind, then. That’s what a star is supposed to do.”

“Sure, sure. At the very least, I’m glad you still have something you believe in, Tamatsu.”

“One day, I’ll make you believe me.”

I hope you do. I really do, Tamatsu.

I want to believe you with all of my heart, even if the facts state otherwise.

I want to believe you’re an alien.

Because what’s more miserable than an alien unable to go home?


	3. Chapter 3

It took me thirty minutes to arrive at Nijigahara Middle School from Tamatsu’s apartment complex. The journey there was as uneventful as the day had been so far, but I was able to occupy my mind as well as I could.

Yoshikata Akiki.

A young girl who has been watered down.

Although the idea of going into the woods and having a life changing experience seemed like something you’d read in a novel, I didn’t doubt that it might have happened to young Yoshikata. The world is full of strange things that can impact growing minds, some normal and some abnormal to a fault.

I just didn’t believe this could be connected to something otherworldly, in the words of Tamatsu. For one, I’ve already dealt with one oddity in this town, and the chances of another appearing in this short of a time frame was 1/10000.

Possibly less.

No, definitely less.

This kind of thing just didn’t happen.

Of course, that means there is still a chance, and any percentage of a chance is good enough for me to find what I’m looking for. If she doesn’t have it, then I’ll wash my hands of this incident and do my duty as a Devil. Wish them well, tell them I’ll handle their issues, and leave for more relaxation and shade away from the summer heat.

It’s as easy as that.

After thirty minutes had passed, I entered the Nijigahara Middle School grounds. Around it was a fairly modest neighborhood in terms of design, but not nearly as run down as my own. The middle school, meanwhile, seemed to be very well off and well financed. If young Yoshikata was living near my own area, it was a wonder how she was able to afford schooling in this location.

Nearby the soccer field, there was the person in question.

Yoshikata Akiki.

She was in the school’s middle school uniform, but someone didn’t give her the memo that young girls don’t wear the boys’ shirts. That, along with her skirt and a baseball jersey worn as if it was a coat, made her instantly give off a delinquent appeal.

Not to mention, her red hair and a baseball cap on her head.

Dyed hair.

Dyed a shade of red.

A shade of red that looks like blood.

I wish Tamatsu mentioned I was dealing with someone like this.

I don’t like violence.

I know that looks can be deceiving, but someone trying to break every school dress code in the book is not someone I want to deal with face to face. I’m all for rebellion but not in close proximity to me.

Of course, it was hypocritical of me to think so, due to my hair also being a dyed shade of brown; but it’s the principle of it.

All signs were pointing to bad news.

Well, it’s too late now.

Time to approach the time bomb.

I walked up to the spot underneath the tree where Yoshikata resided, and she waved at me. Next to her was a makeshift table, a few decks of cards and a Shoji container. All of them seemed to be orderly, almost like she was ready to pack up for the day.

So the rumors were true.

In direct eyesight to the school.

Regret is a sickly feeling. I felt sick, indeed.

“Sorry, but I’m packing things up for today. If you want to play, senpai, then you can come by tomorrow after school. I’ll look forward to seeing you there!” She spoke cheerfully, a smile on her face.

And here I thought I was a good judge of character.

“Ah, you’ve gotten it wrong. I would be honored to play a game with you, Yoshikata-san, but I’m just here to have a talk.”

“A talk? What would you want to talk about?”

“Just a few minor things, nothing too important.”

“If someone you didn’t know approached you saying they wanted to talk, I don’t think you would want to talk with them very much!”

“Urk... You’re right, you’re right. Well, first thing’s first, we can stop being strangers.”

I bowed my head to her as a show of hospitality.

During these few seconds, I was thinking about how to present myself.

Do I give a false name? Do I tell her I’m the village’s own Wandering Devil?

I think she doesn’t need to know who I am, but maybe saying I was the Devil could be dangerous. Could frighten her off from talking.

I’ll just come out with it.

“Pleasure to meet you. My name is Numachi Rouka. ‘Numa’ written as in marsh, ‘chi’ written as ground.”

“Yoshikata Akiki. ‘Yoshi’ written as good luck, ‘kata’ as shape.” She spoke, bowing her head to meet mine.

I won’t deny it. Two teenage girls with dyed hair bowing to each other like businessmen was a sight to see. If anyone saw us, there would be more than just rumors.

I wouldn’t mind. Let them watch.

“I’m a friend of your sister. I heard a few things about you and wanted to see how I can help.”

“Which sister?”

“Oh, your sister Yumeko.”

“Ohhhhhhh, that makes sense. It’s like her to do something like this. Please, have a seat.”

She offered me a chair at her small gambling table, which I obliged. She sat right across from me, placing a few decks of cards in her book bag.

“So, Numachi-senpai, what were you told about me?”

“Well, barely anything. I’ve been told you set up a gambling service for middle school students and have been acting different towards your family lately.”

“Acting different? How did she explain it?”

“Your sister mentioned that your personality softened up, in a way.”

Yoshikata then paused, tapping the table with her index finger for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and continuing.

“Mmm, I understand their concern, but having to bring someone in like this...”

“Hey, I was against it at first. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a personality change, but she told me to hear you out.”

“There’s nothing to say, Numachi-senpai! Nothing has happened, onee-chan just doesn’t understand—”

“I’ve heard about that personal trip you took, too.”

Another pause.

More tapping on the table.

Another long, deep breath.

“How much do you know?”

“Like I said, I hardly know any of the details. All I know is you went on a trip, and came back different.”

“Hmm. Is that so.”

“I’ve been asked by your sister to hear you out, Yoshikata-san. You can leave if you don’t want to talk about it. The choice is yours, in all respects. I’m only offering, and what I offer is a way to vent out your feelings to someone who barely knows you.”

“Vent out my feelings?”

“Yeah. I won’t tell a soul about anything you let me know about.”

“So the rumors were true...”

Oh no.

That doesn’t sound good.

“By rumors, you mean—”

“That the Wandering Devil exists? Yes.”

It wasn’t good.

So much for my worry about being discovered.

Taking this job was a huge mistake.

“Don’t worry about me leaking this information. If you keep my secrets, I’ll keep yours.” She said, putting the last deck of cards away.

“Ahaha... I, well I appreciate it.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Numachi-senpai. How you’ve been helping a good amount of my classmates in their worries.”

“Well, it’s really nothing. I offer a standard service with not much meat on the bone, so I’m just glad I can help.”

“I appreciate your help, but it hasn’t been helping me in the least.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You’ve been stealing valuable clients from me, Numachi-senpai.”

As she spoke, she tapped on the table more and more, almost at a rhythmic pace. 

I could make a few guesses, but I didn’t want to assume.

“I’ve had this job for a couple of months, my job being the house for those wanting to part way with their worries.” She began.

“The house?”

“Someone who offers the bet, the operator of a game. I operate this table as a way to help others. Those who gamble usually do so to forget their worries and to make a bit of cash. I hate this kind of person with all my heart, so what I’ve done is set up a system for those coming to make some money to forget their worries. I’ll use Blackjack as an example.”

“I don’t know Blackjack.”

“You don’t have to, the basics are simple enough that anyone can pick up on it. During their first few rounds, a gambler likes to spend his money wisely, only spending about 100-500 yen per betting pool. I like to let them win as much as possible during this, so it builds up a sense of good luck for the patron.

“The longer the game goes on, the more lucky bets they place. I throw in a few bad bets just for good measure, to keep it feeling natural. Over time, they start feeling cocky, and bet all they have on one game.”

“Does that happen every time?”

“Mostly, there are a few outliers who try cashing out early, but they’re rare. No one likes admitting defeat during a good streak.”

“I don’t think that’s admitting defeat. I mean, they come out with a net positive, don’t they?”

“It's a defeat to a gambler. Imagine it, running away when you’re already so far, throwing away all of the good fortune you’ve been given.”

“What happens after they make that bet?”

“They lose all of their money. A single failed game, sending them down to zero. Since they tasted defeat, they decided to borrow money from me for a couple more games to break even.”

“Let me guess. They don’t break even.”

“You got it! They fail every game after, and rack up a debt to me in return.”

“That’s pretty cruel, Yoshikata-san.”

“It’s cruel, but necessary. Once they realize they owe me so much, they beg me to forgive their debt. I refuse on the grounds of fairness, but I offer one option: tell me about the nicest moment in your life.

“They tell me what has made them the happiest in their life, in vivid detail. Every first kiss, every summer trip with their parents, every calm day in winter. The more they go on, the less they cared about the issue that was plaguing them in the first place.”

“That’s making the assumption that those who gamble are running away from their problems.”

“I think gambling, by definition, is doing just that.”

The second time today that I couldn’t argue, since I agreed. The mere act of gambling something, either yen or good memories, is for quick thrills. People only seek quick thrills if the rest of their life is full of negativity.

Just one small positive to balance it out.

Get back what the world owes you.

“What happens to the money they lost?”

“Well, it’s a lesson learned at the end of the day. Don’t gamble your life away.”

“Wait, you keep the money for yourself? How much money do they normally give you?”

“I’d say... around the range of ten thousand yen.”

I can’t believe this.

This isn’t theft, it’s highway robbery.

“I’m not believing this, Yoshikata-san. You can’t lose ten thousand yen in a day and feel better afterwards.”

“You can believe what you want, but I haven’t received any negative feedback. They end off in a better situation than before, knowing that their worries are not worth as much as the positives in their life.

“Of course, the problem doesn’t go away in the end. In a way, this is why I despise you, Numachi-senpai.”

“...”

“Well, despise is a strong word, isn’t it? I’m more... ummm... well I think I can admit it. I actually admire you in a few ways.”

Going from hate to admiration is a feat to behold. Made me wonder what her feelings really were.

“I’m glad you can find some enjoyment in what I do, even if I steal your precious resources.”

“It’s interesting! From what is rumored, you handle issues directly. I’ve heard you were able to solve a classmate of mine’s issue with his friends today, in fact. All in the span of a day.”

“It’s just a service, really. There’s nothing more to it.”

“I think you can say this makes us rivals. I push aside their issues for what is truly valuable, but you uproot the problem at its core. It’s like we’re competing to see—”

“I don’t do anything to help them, Yoshikata-san. All I do is lend an ear, tell them I’ll handle it, and do nothing.”

“That is... the exact opposite of what I heard.”

More tapping. Slower than usual.

“It’s the truth. All I do is let them forget about their worries. Run away from them. At the end of the day, it gets resolved.”

“Then... why do you offer the service in the first place?”

“I like hearing about people less fortunate than me. I consider it my payment.”

“So all of those times my classmates have had an issue resolved?”

“I did nothing.”

The tapping increased.

“Now, since we got all of this out of the way; that brings me to my first question, Yoshikata-san. Why do you do the things you do?” I continued.

“For the same reasons as you, Numachi-senpai. I like hearing their stories.”

“Is there a reason why you enjoy them?”

“It’s complicated, but you can say I like hearing about people in better fortune than me.”

More like stealing their fortune, but I have no right to judge.

We both offer the same thing.

“What do you do with the money afterwards?”

“I plan to give all of the money back on White Day.”

“That’s an oddly specific date. Have all of your clients been girls?”

“White Day isn’t just for us to receive gifts, Numachi-senpai. It’s for giving back what you’ve been given.”

Living a permanent Valentine’s Day.

Giving back the good spirit you’ve borrowed.

I didn’t see the appeal of it, but I understood why someone would.

“Now, onto my second question, Yoshikata-san. Tell me what happened on that personal trip of yours.”

“...”

It wouldn’t even be considered tapping at this point. The pace was incredible, almost like a singular tone.

If she played the drums, it would be a perfect fit.

I felt like I was feeling the same tension she was feeling this whole time.

Maybe it’s tension. Could be something else.

“... Before I tell you, I’d like to make one request to you, our Wandering Devil.”

“You know I don’t do requests.”

“Then do this one request for me. If you never do a single request in your life, at least do this for me.”

“I’ll hear it out, but you know I have every right to decline.”

“That’s fine. Just listen to me.”

Her tapping slowed as she took a deep breath.

I wouldn’t have expected the words that came out of her mouth.

Not in a million years.

“I want you to kill me, Numachi-senpai. I want you to free me from the Squid.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Akkorokamui.”

My colleague —no, it would be more accurate to say my benefactor— spoke as if they already knew what was happening before I had a chance to go in depth.

“Akkorokamui?”

“A minor god in Shinto, originated in Ainu folklore. Supposedly resides in Uchiura Bay in Hokkaido.”

“Quite a long distance from Hokkaido.”

“Supposed apparitions, by definition, aren’t tied to location. If you believe it to exist where you are, thus is thus.”

“Sounds like you believe in it.”

“I don’t. It’s just that: folklore. A nice little story to tell your kids so they stop going where they aren’t supposed to. I’d be surprised if she didn’t know about it, knowing her circumstances.”

“You think Yoshikata-san knew about the Akkorokamui before going on her field trip?”

“She had to. Probably heard it on her way to school one day. A giant spider taken into the ocean, transforming into an octopus that can heal any wound and grant you incredible knowledge. There is no way a young girl like her wouldn’t become enamored in this tale. If you had any sense, you’d be writing down notes.”

“I’m not planning on it, ███-san, I’m comfortable where I am right now.”

They made me omit their name from the record.

Security, and all that.

“If you’re so comfortable, then you should have no issue handling the situation yourself. You’re at a point where asking for my assistance does more harm than good.”

“I think I’m past that point here.”

“Also, need I remind you that she does not have the item you’re seeking. As an adult who should set a standard for the youth, I’d advise not getting yourself into deeper trouble by continuing on the path you’re taking.”

“I can’t do that, ███-san.”

“It’s a sad day to hear that coming from you, Numachi-chan. All the hope I’ve had for the younger generation is lost.”

“She mentioned a squid, not an octopus. From what you’ve told me, Akkorokamui is an octopus god.”

“That is correct, yes.”

“Even if this is all in her head, I don’t think you can confuse a squid with an octopus.”

“If this god existed, Numachi-chan, then I wouldn’t think it would be tied down by just one form. It could come in many different varieties. A goat, a frog, a tanuki; perhaps even an image of Yakushi within a bathroom mirror.”

“But as you stated; it’s not real. It’s a delusion by someone mentally damaged enough to believe a piece of folklore.”

“The lesson to be learned today, Numachi-chan, is that what you know and understand is not concrete. Young Yoshikata could have heard about the Akkorokamui one day, and over time believe it to be a squid. Memories are very fallible things.

“You may believe in something long enough that the image burns in your memory, but a burn fades. Once a burn fades, it loses the details that makes it what it is, and it can be confused as something else. It continues along those lines until the belief loses everything it originally was.”

“I don’t think you used a proper analogy here.”

“You can believe that, but overtime you may find yourself believing otherwise.”

...

That sickly feeling again.

“No matter what you say, ███-san, I’m staying in.”

“This isn’t like the Swamp God I used to know. What prompted this rebellion of yours, Numachi-chan?”

_ Is the fallen angel eager to face a god? _ They continued. I wanted to reject the fallen angel title, but it felt weirdly apt in a way.

I just felt like no one else could do this kind of job.

There’s no other reason than that.

I’m the most qualified.

On the topic of gods, spirits, and otherworldly figures, this was something I was used to.

But I didn’t know of them as ghosts or spirits.

I knew them to be apparitions.

Oddities.

Things you can’t explain through modern science.

I didn’t ask to be intertwined in their business, but I won’t regret it. In fact, it’s given me a bit of purpose in life.

It’s just not what I’m seeking.

When Yoshikata first mentioned the Squid to me, I almost didn’t want to believe it. Another oddity in this small, almost nonexistent village.

Lightning can strike twice.

Lightning can strike twice as hard.

“I didn’t take the trip alone, I was with a couple of friends at the time. It was a field trip to celebrate the final game before summer vacation.” Yoshikata told me, drinking from a coffee I purchased from a nearby machine.

“So the jersey isn’t for show? Were you a part of the baseball team?”

“I wasn’t, I’m not very good at sports. I tried applying for the softball team but was rejected during tryouts. I gambled on our teams winning games, however.”

Yoshikata told me she was a part of a secret gambling club, a club that lasted since the beginning of the final grade in primary school. They mainly gambled on sports games, oftentimes betting against their home team.

“Our school wasn’t known for sports, so most of the betting was minimal at best. It was just an excuse for us to hang out.”

“Why didn’t you make a normal club around something less... illegal?”

“There wasn’t any thrill in that, Numachi-senpai. The thrill of almost getting caught for doing something we shouldn’t do was better than the gambling itself.”

One of the members was a member of the baseball team, although Yoshikata wouldn’t say her name. A stalwart pitcher, never taking part in the betting pool but often staying with the members to relax. Yoshikata and the pitcher grew close, becoming fast friends during the early months of middle school.

“Around June last year, we were talking about what we wanted to do when we got out of school. I said I wanted to be a scientist, but it’s not something I imagined myself doing.”

“What did she want to do?”

“She told me she wanted to die.”

No hesitation. Spoken flatly. Firmly.

Yoshikata’s friend wanted to die.

“I didn’t know what she meant by that at first. She didn’t tell anyone in the club about this, she only told me. I remember asking her over and over each day, and she kept saying the same thing.”

“Do you know why she wanted this?”

“She told me after a few weeks. She couldn’t live a dull existence, is what she said.”

The pitcher was struck by a constant dull pain. A famed member of a sports team, living a life of luxury while her best friend was living in what could be considered groveling misery. I think this was called Impostor Syndrome, but I doubted it was entirely accurate.

A bleeding heart seeing those in situations she can’t imagine herself in; feeling powerless in the face of poverty and the balance of life...

A constant emotion of feeling like a failure for not being able to help someone close to you.

If you have enough of this feeling with no release, it can build up.

It can damage you.

You need a trade off so the balance is right. Get back what is taken from you.

She was given nothing back.

All her head could have was negatives.

“I couldn’t see her like that. I couldn’t see her wanting this every day. I valued her more than I valued anyone.”

“Is that why you won’t tell me her name? Don’t want the devil to besmirch something dear to you?”

“Not at all. She was big on privacy, didn’t want anyone to know it was her.”

“She hid herself from the club itself?”

“Yeah. She liked the thrill of it. She only told me who she was.”

“Sounds like you were close to her.”

“I’ve never been closer to anyone in my life.”

“I’m glad you were able to have something like that, Yoshikata. Is your friend still around? I’d love to meet them.”

“She’s dead.”

_ She succeeded in what she wanted to do _ , Yoshikata continued. She spoke firmly. Of course, the tapping was constant during this conversation, but putting a note on that now was redundant.

Yoshikata went on to tell me about her field trip, or rather: what they both decided before her field trip.

“She wanted me to kill her during the trip. We were going to go into the woods near the shrine and camp out. Do some actual gambling too. She wanted me to take her further into the woods and kill her.”

“Did you kill her?”

Yoshikata turned her head to the side, taking a deep breath. She kept her head there as she spoke.

“I offered my own life alongside her. I...”

She held on that line.

Take your time, Yoshikata. I’m in no rush.

“... We were going to do it together. Go into the woods deep enough so no one can find us, and end it all.”

“Why did you want to die, Yoshikata-san?”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter anymore. It was probably nothing at all, some stupid reason that was going on at the time. You make up excuses.”

They both went into the woods during the night of their trip, while everyone was still asleep.

A dual suicide.

A modern Romeo and Juliet. It was heartbreaking indeed.

“Since you’re still here, Yoshikata-san, I understand there was something that stopped you from dying.”

“She was successful. I saw her die right in front of me. Before I could follow, I... I saw a squid. It reached out to me.”

“Reached out to you?”

“It would be more accurate to say I... Reached out to it instead. I was a coward. I wanted out at the last minute. I was afraid of death. It knew that.”

The squid healed her wounds.

The squid kept her alive.

Akkorokamui, as I later found out, is a minor god famed for it’s healing. It heals ailments of the body, along with mental purification and spiritual release.

It wouldn’t let her die.

“What happened after that night?” I asked her.

“We all went home. Everyone said their goodbyes, and the club didn't continue.”

“Did they know about her death?”

“Only that she disappeared. We were told to stay out of it and let the adults handle it. I think they’re still searching for her.”

“I think by this point, they would’ve figured it out.”

“By this point, they’re looking for closure, Numachi-senpai.”

“Is that what you’re looking for too? Closure?”

“Yes, it is. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

Another pause. A deep breath.

“After that night, I tried to... Take my life again. To finish what we started. I tried multiple times. All of them ended in failure.”

“Did you try to stop yourself then?”

“No. It won’t let me go. It won’t let me finish this.”

Once a god is beside you, it’s hard for it to let go. Especially in this case.

A god of healing can deal with cuts, bruises, purification, anything that can be self destructive.

A god of healing can prevent damage.

“When I heard about you, Numachi-senpai... When I heard about you, the Wandering Devil; I was so happy. I heard how you can solve every issue, fix every difficulty, do everything to help someone else. I thought you could get rid of the squid. I thought you could free me.

“But now, I know you’re just... a normal girl. You just like listening to misery. There’s nothing else to you. All you can do for me is listen to me talk about my own misery.”

She gave me a smile.

“Well, at least I hope you enjoyed it!”

I don’t want to admit it.

I feel admitting it now would be the worst thing I could do.

Horrific.

Disgusting.

Despicable.

Thankfully, I’m a despicable person.

Thankfully, I’m a despicable devil.

“I did, Yoshikata. I enjoyed listening to you talk about your misery.”

“I’m so glad. I really am. Nothing makes me happier than hearing this.”

“But you did ask something of me, didn’t you?”

“I know you can’t do that now, Numachi-senpai. I know you can’t help me.”

“I can. I just didn’t want to.”

“Wh... what?”

I only nodded to her.

“Why didn’t you want to?”

“I don’t like getting my hands dirty. I don’t like interacting with misery, it’s not fitting of me.”

I don’t like helping other people.

It’s only a fact of life that their issues go away in the end when they give me a call.

“I lied to you before, Yoshikata-san. I don’t know your sister.”

“Then how did you know about me?”

“Do you remember anyone by the name of Tamatsu-san?”

“I don’t remember her too much. I forgot a lot of things this year.”

“From what I heard, she used to visit you and your sister every so often over the years. She requested I help you.”

“Why did she ask?”

“Unlike me, she doesn’t like misery. She actively wants to remove misery from the world. If you thought we were rivals, she’s on a level that is beyond you.”

Yoshikata stayed quiet.

“You paid me a great deal of misery, Yoshikata-san. I’m very thankful you gave me so much today, so I’d feel awful if I was unable to pay you back.”

Still quiet.

“I’m going to help you get rid of this squid.”

“Numachi-senpai... Do you know how?”

And the silence was broken.

“I may. I won’t promise anything concrete, however. As I said, I’m not one for a hands on approach, so forgive me for the lack of experience.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’ll tell you later, Yoshikata-san. I’m going to be going out for a short time researching this squid, so I want you to go home and wait until I call you.”

As I said this, I passed her a pencil and a piece of paper from my notepad. She began writing down her number instantly.

“I’ll tell you everything needed once I call.”

“I... I thank you, Devil-sama. Doing all of this for me.”

“There’s nothing better to do anyway.”

“Before you go, I have one small question in return.”

Yoshikata passed me my pencil and the piece of paper back to me. She was no longer tapping on the table.

“Please confirm with me that you’re able to help me. That you’re able to free me from the squid.”

“Nothing is concrete, as I stated.”

“Then humor me. Just this once.”

“... Fine. I am able to free you from the squid.”

Yoshikata took one of the deepest breaths I’ve seen her take and —in a move I could never have expected— she began screaming.

Loudly.

I’m not usually scared for my life. I like to think I can outrun the best of them, so the idea of dying never crosses my mind. You can outrun everything, and all that.

But at this moment.

I felt death approaching me.

“THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

She leaped over the table and tackled my torso, knocking the wind right out of me as we collapsed on the grass next to the soccer field. The force of her body colliding into mine was almost too much to bear. It was like all of the air in my body was flushed out.

Planting her feet on the ground, she held onto my torso tight and lifted me up into the air, several feet up.

I hate violence I hate violence I hate violence I hate violence I hate violence I hate violence

“THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU—”

She began kissing my face over and over in-between each thank you, sound effects and all.

The amount of strength this girl had was absolutely incredible, it almost felt like my lungs were collapsing. She was able to lift me up the air like I was a balloon; not to mention her posture was perfect for the job too.

Didn’t she say she failed tryouts?

Who was she up against?

She began to spin me around, treating me like I was a helicopter blade. I’m thankful the student population went home for today; if they saw their own Wandering Devil being spun around like this I would never get another call again.

Is this her normal intensity?

Is this what I got myself into?

Next time, I’ll listen to my gut.

No more delinquents.

No more blood red hair.

No more suicidal gamblers.

No more promises I might not be able to keep.

After a few grueling minutes of astronaut training, she dropped me like a sack next to the tree where I placed my crutch.

What is it about this village and its mistreatment of the disabled?

I should report this to someone.

“I’m sorry, Numachi-senpai! I just got so excited I couldn’t think, I’m so sorry—”

“Don’t worry about it. Just go home and calm down, Yoshikata-san.”

“Aren’t you hurt? I can call someone—”

“Yoshikata, please... Just go home.”

She bowed to me while I was on the ground.

“I’ll never forget this, Numachi-senpai!”

And then she ran off, taking her book bag with her.

She was right, I was hurt.

It hurt like hell.

But it was punishment for me getting myself into this situation.

Getting myself into another oddity issue.

Another event where I come out empty handed.

Well, not really.

I gained some of the most potent misfortune anyone could ask for in my position.

This was like finding diamonds in an abandoned mine.

But at what cost?

I took out a few pieces of gum and chewed them in one go as I thought more about this.

I was deep in thought for ten minutes.

Yoshikata Akiki.

The girl who has been watered down.

The girl who has survived death itself.

The girl who is able to kill someone with her bare hands.

Would she be able to find me if I tried to quit now?

Knowing her methods, she could get some middle school students with huge debt to look for me.

I’d have to skip town.

Well, I was already considering that since she knew who I was.

So, quitting is off the table.

I don’t like this.

Why did I get myself into this?

Why am I trying to solve someone's misery?

Sure, I am basically letting her kill herself.

But death, by definition, is an escape from misery.

It’s an escape from everything.

A coward’s way out.

You know what? It’s also more misery.

Yeah, that’s it. That’s why I’m doing this.

I don’t like creating misery, but I won’t turn it down.

There’s no other reason why I’d help Yoshikata.

None.

Time to get up.

Time to get to work.

Time to get rid of a squid.


	5. Chapter 5

It took almost forty-five minutes to get in contact with my benefactor. Since they blocked the various phone numbers I used, the method of contact usually follows as thus:

  1. Contact from a payphone, pretending to be someone who needs assistance.
  2. Call again after ███-san hangs up on you.
  3. Repeat Step 2 until ███-san decides to humor you. This step took a majority of the forty-five minutes.
  4. In direct translation: humoring is akin to a pay toll on a public highway. Try to fight it so they don’t hang up again. Learned this the hard way.
  5. Rack up the debt you owe.



Needless to say, I had racked up quite a debt to ███-san, but I believe they didn’t care too much for trying to collect. Maybe this harassment was for checking to see how serious of a matter this was.

I was already asking for more debt for this situation anyway. Another thousand yen never hurt anyone.

The payphone was right outside the nearest bookstore from the middle school. I was injured, so I didn’t have the energy to go a long distance. Contacting ███-san took me all of the money I saved for dinner.

Tamatsu once asked me why I carried most of my money in coin.

This was why.

I was surprised ███-san even humored me at all, since it was now dark and outside of their normal business hours anyway.

Detailing all I could about Yoshikata and her squid, they told me valuable information regarding the oddity itself.

Or it was all fake. I always kept that idea in the back of my mind, just in case they pulled anything. I didn’t have direct experience with their gambles and imitations, but I knew them well enough from the time I’ve known them. In fact, the first time I met ███-san was a situation that provoked their infamy.

Even though that was only a few months ago.

I’m of the belief that frauds build bonds quicker than most; you can understand a fake more if you’re one yourself. I didn’t consider myself on the same tier as ███-san when it came to it, but I won’t lie to myself and say what I was doing had any merit of good will.

As Yoshikata discovered, it was all an act.

I was a selfish human being.

A selfish devil.

Regardless, even if the information they provided was false or not, it did let me know where I could go from here. There were many ways to deal with a squid, or an octopus as ███-san told me. Well, the issue was that I didn’t know if the god part was important to the situation at hand.

As I said, I was new to this.

This is why I called.

“First, Numachi-chan, reconsider your options.” My benefactor told me.

“As I said, I’m not pulling out.”

“Even though hearing this causes great pain in my old heart, I won’t press further. At your age, it’s best to make mistakes now and be done with it before the potential mistakes can grow into potential problems. If you did not want to be persuaded into leaving this squid to ferment, then may I ask why you have made so much effort to contact me?”

“I need your help.”

“I refuse.”

“You didn’t hear what I wanted to ask.”

“I don’t need to. I know a homeless NEET like you with no qualifications for welfare has no money to pay me. Why should I help in exchange for nothing in return?”

“If you know I can’t pay you, why do you make me go through this song and dance just to contact you? Don’t I owe you almost ten thousand yen by now?”

“I lied. You don’t owe me anything. This song and dance was so you can stop contacting me for every little worry you come across. The lesson to be learned today, Numachi-chan, is to never trust an adult in your life. We never want to deal with situations in such small stature, it would belittle us as human beings.”

“That doesn’t explain last time.”

“I was feeling generous. Even a fraud can lend a helping hand when they’re in the mood.”

“And I take it you’re not in the mood now.”

“Not at all. In fact, you pestering me while I should be getting my beauty sleep has made the mood worse.”

“It’s only seven P.M.”

In fact, I knew ███-san stayed up for long hours.

It was a simple lie, easy to see through.

They just didn’t want a part in this.

Well, I did have a backup plan if they refused like this. Actually, I wouldn’t say this was a backup plan, more like the first plan I came up with. I knew they were doing this from the start, and Yoshikata presented me a delicate piece of information that can be very helpful in persuasion.

“Well, ███-san, I understand if you don’t wish to assist me.”

“I’m glad we’ve reached that understanding, Numachi-chan.”

“But if it’s payment you desire, I can make an arrangement.”

“Oh? I wonder what a NEET like yourself has to offer.”

“Yoshikata-san has been collecting quite a fortune in exchange for her services. I think I can persuade her to give away this fortune for a good cause.”

“...”

“About, say ten thousand yen per patron she has assisted. Considering how long she has been going on, I’d say about... half of the student body has been assisted by her by this point. I think you can do the calculations.”

“...”

███-san paused for a few minutes. It put me in good spirits to know how much this has shaken my colleague, although I had some understanding that this is what they valued most. Hard earned cash, thrown away in an instant.

There was no way they would refuse.

“I refuse.”

███-san was right, I’ve been off my game today.

“The amount of money necessary for my hand in this situation of yours, Numachi-chan, greatly outweighs the potential profit your friend Yoshikata can provide me. I’d be at a loss, if anything.”

“Give me a ballpark estimate.”

“It’s 17% of what I would need to help you.”

I don’t know what ███-san was thinking, but at this point I half-expected them to ask me to rob a bank. Well, knowing what Yoshikata was like now, I doubted she would disagree with doing so.

Let’s not get into any more trouble, shall we?

“Okay, so it isn’t enough money. I concede, I won’t ask for more help from you.”

“Actually, Numachi-chan, your eagerness to pay me has wounded me enough to consider an alternative for you. Since you’re only able to pay me 17% of what is needed for my assistance; I’ll provide assistance that is worth 17% of my usual.”

“What would this include?”

“Telling you now is giving it away, isn’t it? What I want you to do is to tell young Yoshikata to seal the full payment in an envelope and mail it to a P.O. box in your village.”

“Why do you have a P.O. box here?”

“For situations such as these, Numachi-chan. We’re in the internet age, where information and assistance can be sent via long distances. It’s better to stay with the times than fall behind, if you want to stay on top.”

I doubted it was ███-san’s own P.O. box, but I didn’t want to poke them more about this. I wrote down the box number on my notepad. 

“Keep out your notepad, Numachi-chan. Write down the following materials you may find useful.”

As I wrote down the grocery list ███-san has given me, I began to think about this situation.

This was actually what I wanted to ask in the first place.

Just a way to understand how to approach this situation in a better light.

Understand how to kill a squid.

Or an octopus.

Either one.

It made me wonder what the full amount of funding would entail. Knowing my benefactor, the same amount of effort being displayed here.

At least it was something.

“Thank you very much for your assistance, ███-san. I’ll make sure that Yoshikata-san sends the money out by tonight.”

“As I stated before, Numachi-chan, I want you to reconsider your options. Reconsider what you understand about the situation at hand. I hope what I have provided you will assist you in learning this lesson today.”

“What if it doesn’t work?”

“Knowing you, you’ll figure things out. Unless you don’t. I had a friend in college who used to spout nonsensical lines like ‘Only you can save yourself’ and all that. Never liked the man and his supposed wisdom. Unfortunately, I believe what he has said to be apt as of now.

“This is your issue, your situation that you have grasped onto. Since you refuse my recommendation of conceding from this oddity business; the lesson to be learned today is as follows: Don’t believe everything you’ve been told.”

Click.

Phone call dropped.

Always knew ███-san to be a drama queen.

But it was something to think about, wasn’t it?

Yoshikata did provide a fair bit of information regarding their situation, but that couldn’t be all of it. Maybe there were a few details skimmed, motivations left out, characters not included in the story.

I did consider this previously, since she mentioned a squid, but as ███-san stated it could’ve been her wanting to believe what she wanted to believe. Why would he say something like that now if there was nothing else to it before?

Well, I can think about that later.

Time to contact Yoshikata.

Dialing my cell phone, the phone rang for a split second before being picked up by Yoshikata herself, sounding exhausted.

“Numachi-senpai!?”

“I told you to get some sleep.”

“I couldn’t, I was so excited I was ready to scream all over again. I could feel my veins popping out of my skull, ready to burst at any moment!”

“That sounds... very graphic, Yoshikata-san. Are you doing okay?”

“Yes! I am! I haven’t been this comfortable in my whole life! Khahahahahaha!” she began laughing like she was in a trance. At least she seemed like she was having fun.

I told her to save around twenty thousand yen, and to send the remaining amount to my benefactor’s P.O. box.

“I thought you weren’t taking payments, Numachi-senpai? I’m happy to finance you, of course!”

“This isn’t for me. I had some assistance with this issue today and this is going towards their price tag.”

“Am I going to meet this person?”

“Fortunately, you aren’t. They’re like your friend, Yoshikata-san. They don’t like the public eye.”

“Hmm-hmm. I understand that, especially since they’re causing a young teenage girl to die today.”

That’s putting it very directly. I didn’t like addressing that part, but she’s right.

“In any case, I want you to come by the bookstore near the middle school and assist me in gathering books for removing the squid.”

“They don’t have books on those, Numachi-senpai. I checked.”

“Not for squids, yes. I learned today that your oddity isn’t a squid.”

“Oh. What is it?”

I let Yoshikata know about the Akkorokamui and its methods. She seemed to understand it well enough, but it did cause some additional questions for me.

“Yoshikata-san, have you not heard of the Akkorokamui before?”

“No, this is my first time hearing about it. It sounds a little silly, though. I mean, a spider turning into a squid?”

“That’s just how gods are, Yoshikata-san. You get used to it.”

That was a lie.

I wasn’t used to it.

“I’ll be over there in fifteen minutes, Numachi-senpai. What sort of assistance do you need?”

“I’m out of money. I can’t afford all of the supplies needed for your oddity. And...”

I didn’t want to mention this, but I had no choice.

“I need help finding robes that will fit me.”

“Robes? Are you going to like, dress up as a priest?”

“Unfortunately, yes. That’s what gods need, some standards. I haven’t measured myself in years, so... I’ll need your help.”

“Ohhhhh, that makes sense. Not to worry, Numachi-senpai, I’ll keep my eyes closed so your purity is intact.”

“That’s the exact opposite of what I asked, Yoshikata-san. You need to take the measurements.”

“I’m good with activities while my eyes are closed!”

“What activities?”

I had a feeling I was going to regret asking this question.

“Oh, various things! Darts, arm wrestling, strip poker, picross—”

“What was that third one?”

“Strip poker! I can’t see all of my friends in that position, it gets too uncomfortable.”

“But you’re fine with yourself being seen in that position?”

I didn’t want to ask why a middle school club would play strip poker. I felt the more I asked about this club of hers, the less likely I’ll have faith for the youth.

Is this how ███-san felt?

“Don’t worry about it, Numachi-senpai. Just be safe and wait for me there!”

“Be safe? Is this neighborhood worrisome?”

“Not at all, not at all! It’s only a small little thing I forgot to mention.”

I don’t like the sound of this.

“I... may have offered a chance of repayment to a few students by finding the Wandering Devil in this town.”

“Yoshikata-san, that is something you should’ve mentioned before.”

“It slipped my mind, I’m sorry! Don’t worry, I told them not to hurt you. Well, at least not much.”

I don’t like the sound of this at all.

“Are you telling me you have students roaming this town looking for me, with a possibility of causing harm?”

“Listen, I didn’t know if you were going to help me and I was willing to do anything for the help. Even by breaking a few bones if necessary!”

I don’t like violence.

Why is this girl nothing but?

“At least they don’t know what you look like, Numachi-senpai! You’re very hard to read, just make sure to stay inconspicuous.”

“I’ll try my best, Yoshikata-san. And please: no more asking people to hurt me.”

“I promise, no more violence towards my good senpai. Cross my heart and hope to die.”

After the phone call, I took a few minutes to relax as I sat on the bench nearby the payphone.

Well, as much as someone under a manhunt can relax, anyway.

This was a stark difference from the coy and calculative Yoshikata I knew hours before. This one was tied to an emotional state I was uncomfortable being around. Not one of anger or hatred, but of intensity.

How much energy did it take her to hold back?

Why did she hold back in the first place?

It was something to think about. Maybe it was professionalism, since she was just done with her duties when I arrived. There’s a saying that you have a different face for every kind of person you meet, so holding back your emotions can generate a face that is comforting, in a way.

Meeting someone who appears to have no strong emotions allows you to get comfortable in expressing yourself emotionally. You read the room, and sense that the room has enough space for the energy you’ve been holding back; so you let out that energy.

I could see why she did such a thing. It allowed her patrons to become more open with their good memories and more volatile during the game itself.

She was a perfect fraud.

Of course, this is all speculation. I’m comfortable if this is not to be the case, since this was only to occupy my mind before my next call.

Time to call Tamatsu.

Dialing her number, it took almost thirty seconds of waiting for her to pick up. The voice on the receiving end sounded less tired as she previously was, but it wasn’t by much.

This was three hours before she normally woke up.

“Tamatsu Uchuu, at your service.”

“You started saying your full name on the line? I didn’t expect something as childish as this from you, Tamatsu.”

“Oh, it’s you, Devil-kun. I’ll ignore your attempts at humor for now, despite how much I want to expose them for petty tomfoolery. Were you successful in talking to Akiki-chan?”

“Yes, I was able to talk to her today.”

“How is she? I hope she is doing well.”

“You told me she grew to be less of a hot head. I have a few minor injuries right now you need to apologize to.”

“A few minor injuries? That’s odd, normally you would end up with a broken bone or two. Mainly around the lower half of your legs, she was big on injuring that region.”

“Tamatsu. You really should have told me this before.”

“I didn’t see any reason to do so. You’re the type of person to learn more from experience than from being told something in advance.”

“First off: that’s a lie, Tamatsu. Secondly: I at least would’ve liked a heads up before I was spun around in circles.”

“What body part did she grab onto?”

“The ribs.”

“That isn’t like her. She used to say she could throw farther by the ankles. She’s right, there’s a lot more weight to a throw if you hold someone there.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, it was from a hug and not from actually trying to hurt me.”

“I would like to hear why.”

I told Tamatsu about what me and Yoshikata have discussed, including the field trip. I made sure to skim the parts with contacting my benefactor. Tamatsu seemed to take everything well, until I got to the end.

“Devil-kun.”

“Yes, Tamatsu?”

“You’re not killing her.”

“I won’t be killing her.”

“Yes, you are. You’re actively planning on killing her. No matter how you look at this, you’re killing Akiki-chan.”

“Getting rid of a god doesn’t mean she dies, Tamatsu. There is a chance of that happening, but most likely a god won’t rip out wounds they’ve healed.”

“I’m not letting you take that chance.”

“Tamatsu—”

“I’m not going to listen to you, Numachi. I regret telling you about Akiki-chan, and I regret meeting you.”

Ouch. It wasn’t out of character for Tamatsu to act like this. In fact, I would’ve been worried if she wasn’t upset about this.

It’s heartless to be okay with death.

It’s despicable.

Thankfully, I am despicable.

“Regret is a powerful emotion, Tamatsu. Are you comfortable with feeling this way?”

“I’ve never been more comfortable in my life.”

“Glad to hear it. I would like you to be comfortable during this.”

“If you kill her, I’m going to kill you.”

“I know you won’t, Tamatsu; since I’m not killing her.”

“If you go through with—”

“I get it, if I go through with removing a god, the chance that Yoshikata-san would live is little to none. I know it’s like removing life support, and I know it will be a mistake on my life if I did so.”

“And you’re still doing so?”

“What better option is there?”

“I don’t know. Therapy is an option.”

“You think a therapist is going to know about a god, Tamatsu? Do you think therapy removes trauma like this?”

“...”

“You said it yourself. I’m the most qualified person here for the job, and this is what the job entails. I’m not going to kill her, but if the god decides, then it’s out of my hands.”

“You’re saying it won’t be your fault.”

“I’m saying that everything before that point will be. If Yoshikata-san comes out unscathed, do you think she wouldn’t want to kill herself right then and there?”

“Then I’ll be there to stop her.”

“You’re going to help me?”

“I’m going to make sure you, the god, and Akiki aren’t the ones to pull the trigger, Numachi.”

“You’re saying you’re going to stop the god yourself?”

“Yes. By any means necessary. Isn’t that what you’re doing?”

“Maybe, maybe not. I’m only telling the god to let her go, and everything else follows.”

“Then I’ll be the one for everything that follows.”

Tamatsu Uchuu. Bleeding heart Tamatsu.

I’ve heard about her in this state before. I haven’t seen it directly, but the stories I’ve heard about her spoke numbers.

A genuinely good person.

An alien sent by the heavens to save the human race.

What a waste, having her trail along a devil.

You could be saving the world by now, Tamatsu.

What are you doing here with someone like me?

“Fine. I’ll allow you to assist me, Tamatsu. But I won’t lie to you and say you’ll be successful.”

“I don’t need your words of encouragement, Devil-kun. I know what I’ll be doing, and I know that Akiki-chan will not die tonight.”

“Well, you know what you know.”

“And there are things I wish I didn’t know. For example: you.”

“You know me, Tamatsu. You can try to forget me, but you know me now.”

“Don’t rub it in. When is the removal of the god taking place?”

“Tonight, around ten. We’ll be doing this at my lodgings.”

“Give me the address.”

“I can just swing by your location and we can—”

“Give me your address, Numachi.”

I sighed and told her the address to my abandoned lodgings. Hope she likes the lack of insulation.

“Thank you, Devil-kun. Don’t think I’ll ever forgive you.”

“I know you won’t.”

Click.

End call.

Yoshikata was the only one who knew how to end a phone call.

It was getting exhausting at this point. Ah well, can’t say this was unexpected.

Tamatsu probably won’t be willing to see me for quite a bit after this. I have a feeling I’d be able to crack under her defenses in some way in a week or so, but this was almost an impasse.

Being acceptant with someone’s death is a despicable act. It’s condoning suicide. It’s letting people know that life is worth how much you give to it, and if you give nothing you can quit at any time.

Tamatsu is a person who believes in the worth of human life. In the act of existing, your worth is as much as everyone else.

Even if you do nothing to advance human nature or comfort others.

Even if your entire life has been nothing but causing pain and misery for others.

She believed that your life is worth saving.

She believed your life was worth living.

She was a fool.

Always has been. Always was.

A bleeding heart is, by definition, a heart mortally wounded.

It’s bound to die off at some time. It can’t go on forever.

Tamatsu is bound to die from her own hubris. She will attempt to save someone, and thus fall into a situation that will mortally wound her.

Will she still believe all of the delusions she believes in when she dies?

Will this alien never get back home?

Who knows for certain. This is all speculation. All I know is the path ahead of me.

I’ll follow it. I’ll follow it wherever it takes me.

First thing’s first: since Yoshikata was only a few minutes away, I can contact her family and ask a few questions.

Just some basic questions. Things I need to ask.

Just let the devil in.


	6. Chapter 6

When Yoshikata told me it would take her fifteen minutes to arrive at the bookstore, I was skeptical at best. The distance was beyond a quick stroll, much less in that time frame. Despite my disability, I considered myself someone who can keep up a pace, but this was beyond my pace. She resided in my neighborhood in the outskirts of the village, and this was deep in the village itself.

It didn’t seem possible.

Of course, as I have recently found out, Yoshikata was full of surprises.

Right after my final phone call ended, there she was. Speeding along the street on a mountain bike, going quicker than the eye could safely follow. Before she even entered the block, she held onto the brakes and was able to not overshoot the location itself; of course it was by a hair. If this was a cartoon, there would be smoke coming from her tires and a small fire where the wheels stroked the pavement. Of course, this isn’t a cartoon.

It still didn’t explain how she was able to get here so quickly.

Yoshikata Akiki was wearing normal clothing, as much as normal can be for the young girl. A graphic tee shirt, light shorts, and her jersey and baseball cap. She looked less like a delinquent and more like a foreigner. It fit her approach, in a way.

She waved at me as she parked the bike next to the parking lot.

“Numachi-senpai! I hope you didn’t wait too long for me!”

“I didn’t, Yoshikata-san. I actually thought you were going to be here in twice this time.”

“What, you thought I was slow?”

“I’d say I thought you understood how the laws of motion worked for everyone else.”

“I follow them the best I can, but sometimes I do forget to fall in line.”

“Hahaha, at least you understand the position you’re in. How did your parents take you coming out this late?”

“They were fine with it! I just have to make sure to be home tomorrow for breakfast.”

“That’s cruel, Yoshikata-san.”

She stuck her tongue out at me as we walked inside the store.

Cruel Yoshikata.

As we walked in the store, I took out the list I’ve written down of the materials we needed. From this store alone, a couple of books with chapters selected to skim through for the situation at hand. Yoshikata looked over my shoulder as we passed by the shelves.

“I’ve read all of these books! You’ve been swindled, Numachi-senpai.”

“You’ve only read selections about the squids, haven’t you?”

“Well, yeah, but that was the only important stuff.”

“This isn’t a squid, as I have mentioned. We have to think about the god as the Akkorokamui from now on. Do you still have the books on hand?”

“No, I didn’t buy them.”

“Did you find them at the library? We can hold back the deed until tomorrow night if you did.”

“No, it was this bookstore.”

“So you’re telling me you read the books from the shelves here, Yoshikata-san?”

“I mean, it’s not illegal, right?”

“It isn’t, but it isn’t encouraged. This isn’t a library, I’m surprised they didn’t catch you.”

“You’d do the same thing, Numachi-senpai.”

“I would, but that’s besides the point.”

“It is not! The only thing stopping you is getting caught.”

“You’re absolutely right, Yoshikata-san. I would have if I was not afraid of getting caught in a very visible space. That leads me to my question: how were you not caught?”

“A gambler never reveals her secrets.”

“Consider this information a way to pay me back.”

I really was curious. I like not spending money I can use on food.

“Fine, I’ll tell you. You see how this bookstore is in the same neighborhood as the middle school?”

“Yes, I noticed.”

“That’s the key here. The owners are all paranoid adults who are afraid of kids. Look, you can notice them staring at us now.”

She was right, the owner of this store was staring at us from the corner of their eyes. Treating us like delinquents, ready to steal at the drop of a hat.

Granted, we both looked like delinquents with our dyed hair. Can’t say I’d blame them.

“They’re afraid of kids so much that they become jumpy at the sign of any trouble. Middle school kids are violent creatures in their minds, ready to kill any adult for any reason.”

“So you take advantage of this paranoia?”

“You got it! I have a few students who don’t mind scaring them, as long as no one gets hurt. They offer a distraction for the owners, and I pick up a few books to read during the chaos.”

“Very creative. Why don’t you steal the books during this chaos?”

“That causes more trouble than it’s worth. It’s one thing to have teenagers running around being annoying, but it’s another thing to steal.”

“Even though that is what you’re doing to these teenagers.”

“That’s stealing from teenagers, not adults. Adults know how much trouble it is to have something taken from you. Even so, I’m not really stealing from my patrons to begin with.”

“Technically, you are now.”

“Oh, I didn’t think about that. Well, I know there’s my college fund, so just write a note on my corpse to send the money to them instead.”

We pass by the mystery section of the bookstore.

“Say, Numachi-senpai. What kind of books do you like to read anyway?” She asked, scanning through the novels.

“I don’t read much anymore, but if I had to say... I like a few fairy tales.”

“I never would have expected that from you! I thought you’d like, enjoy hard-boiled mysteries or something.”

“I don’t like mysteries very much. They usually get nonsensical at the end and lose interest.”

“Nonsensical? I mean, don’t you like fairy tales?”

“It isn’t the fantasy element that annoys me, it’s just not befitting of it’s genre. A mystery is supposed to be grounded in reality, but reality is very limited. Since it’s an old genre, all of the bases have already been covered.”

“I wouldn’t say that, there can always be a new take on a mystery. Like, who a person is deep inside, or a new take on the locked room mystery!”

“Locked room is what I mean, it’s very overdone and every new scenario involving locked room just seems cliche at best.”

“So why is it you like fairy tales then? Is it because you can’t believe it can happen?”

“Good guess. It’s because most fairy tales understand what they’re trying to be.”

Tales for children. Easy to understand morals, straight forward stories with a good guy and a bad guy. Each fairy tale ends in a happy ending, ends in a moral to take from. A lesson to learn.

“Mysteries are all about lying to a reader, trying to make them guess something they would have never guessed to begin with. It’s all about deceiving someone. I have enough of that in my life as it is.” I explained.

“So fairy tales are escapism for you?”

“As they should be. Escapism. Straight stories with flat characters. Something simple.”

“It seems very hypocritical to like something that is honest to a fault, while being a liar yourself. Khehehe, it’s very unfitting of you, Numachi-senpai.”

Passed by the science fiction section of the store.

“I think I can separate what I like from who I am as a person.” I said, browsing the selection.

“I don’t think you can. I think what you enjoy is directly tied to how you are as a person. You enjoy something because it speaks to a part of you that can gain something from it.”

“That’s a little too deep for me. If I dislike something, for example shounen, there’s not a big reason for disliking it.”

“On the contrary! There are many clear things that can make you dislike shounen!”

“Name some then, Yoshikata-san.”

“The straightforward to a fault design philosophy of shounen writing!”

“No.”

“The focus on following your dreams and being true to yourself but becoming so self centered it gets narcissistic!”

“Nope.”

“The constant amount of fan service for a young audience!”

“Not even close.”

Yoshikata almost appeared to pout, but she collected herself fairly quickly.

“Maybe if I had time, I can dissect you and see why you dislike shounen.”

“I’m afraid to ask what you mean by dissect, Yoshikata-san.”

“I’m not a violent person, you know.”

“I have a few injuries that say otherwise. I think you owe them an apology.”

“Fine, I’ll apologize then.”

She grabbed the bottom of my shirt in an instant. In the back of this bookstore, she lifted up my shirt and got her face close to my ribs.

“I’m sorry, Devil-sama’s ribcage. I won’t do it again.”

“Urk...!?”

“There, happy now?”

“Yes! Yes I’m happy! Put my shirt down! Please!”

I tried to speak as quietly as I could, but my voice was in a state of disarray. I don’t like being seen in public like this, but she seemed to be happy in this situation.

What priorities did this girl have?

As she lowered my shirt, I made sure to look around the bookstore and see if anyone caught this small bit of public nudity. Thankfully, I have been spared from the eyes of John Q. Public, the pervert, once more.

“You look awfully proud of yourself, Yoshikata-san.”

“I have to. I’m the only me I have!”

We passed by the anatomy section of the bookstore.

“Please don’t do that again.”

“I’m sorry, Numachi-senpai. I promise I won’t expose your body to a large body of people, cross my heart and hope to die.”

“I hope you don’t expose my body in general.”

“I mean, I’m going to see your full body anyway, so asking for that is impossible.”

Oh, that’s right.

She’s taking my measurements once we’re done with the bookstore.

“It’s not that you’re seeing it, Yoshikata. It’s that everyone else can. I trust you will not take advantage of the situation, I only wish no one else can see the situation I would be in.”

“Why is that? Are you afraid of being seen by other people?”

“I’m afraid of certain things being seen by other people. This is called ‘public decency’, Yoshikata.”

“You have some weird priorities, Numachi-senpai. You asked me why I wasn’t stealing the books from this store only a few minutes ago.”

“That’s right, but these two things are entirely different. People are complicated enough to believe in two separate things at the same time. Maybe more.”

“Yeah, but you can say it’s public decency to not steal from a family owned bookstore.”

“You can say that, but that would be lying to yourself. Stealing is an act against a law, which you can have a moral or an immoral reaction to. Decency can be according to a law, but more often than not it’s a societal standard set by a population in what is considered the nice thing to do.”

“Isn’t that what laws are as well? Standards set on what is the nice thing to do and what isn’t?”

“You have a point, but it’s not connected to a law. A law can be placed without the input of the people, depending on the governmental body. Meanwhile, a societal standard is directly caused by the population, often over time.”

“This sounds like a lot of excuses for why you’re not comfortable being naked in public.”

“Ugh... Fine, you caught me. I don’t like being naked in public.”

“I knew it.”

Yoshikata nodded her head like she figured everything out. I had a feeling she knew what we were talking about deep down, but didn’t want to get into it.

She was a smart cookie, despite appearances. She knew what she was talking about, despite a clear dislike of what it was. Strong morals and strong immorals, in a sense. I didn’t want to analyze her, but she was an interesting person.

We purchased the required materials we needed from the store and began heading out to our next destination. Yoshikata held the bag holding the materials like a sling over her back. You may wonder if this damages the books, but I didn’t care much for spine damage.

“Yoshikata-san, I’ve been wondering this for some time. Why do you call me your senpai?” I asked her.

“Why, that’s the proper thing to do, isn’t it? You have to treat those in the higher year classes with respect.”

“I’m not a part of your school.”

“You aren’t?!”

Ouch. That left a mark.

I thought I looked much older than a middle school student, but I guess I was wrong.

“Oh wait wait, now I remember. You’re a high school student.”

“Not technically, but I fit the age range. I stopped attending school after I dropped out my final year of middle school.”

“Why did you drop out, Numachi-senpai?”

Weird why she was continuing to call me senpai, but I let her have this.

“I suffered an injury during a game, a stress fracture. Since I was under a sports scholarship, I couldn’t attend school anymore.”

“Oh, that’s why you walk with a crutch, huh. Is there no way to recover?”

“Unfortunately, no. I have to wear this cast for the rest of my life.”

I lifted up the bottom leg of my pants, showing Yoshikata my cast.

“I’m so sorry, Numachi-senpai! I wouldn’t have thrown you if I knew about this.”

I could only shrug and sigh.

“It’s not a big deal, it didn’t hurt too much. The hug was the one thing that caused damage, and I know you didn’t do that out of malicious intent.”

“Yeah, I was genuinely so... happy to hear you’d help me.”

“As you should, you’ve had a lot of stress on you. I’m just glad you aren’t continuing to hug me.”

“Are you... really okay with doing all of this for me?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.”

What’s done is done.

I’m in this situation until it’s over.

Nothing more to it.

We arrived at the clothing store, Yoshikata parking her bike next to the doorway. We were right before closing time, so we had to make this quick.

I know what you’re thinking: why would a regular clothing store have religious garments?

Unfortunately, I don’t have any answers. I was confused by it myself, but the note stated the store had a few sizes to pick out. I was of small stature, so I wanted to see how lucky I would get today.

Entering the store, we immediately head over to the dressing room stalls. Once inside, I began undressing, Yoshikata getting out the measuring tape for the task.

“I wouldn’t have imagined you wearing that kind of bra, Numachi-senpai.”

“You and I both know looks can be deceiving. All we need to do is measure the top region, then we can just buy what we need and head out.”

“Sure, sure.”

And thus, we began the task.

I won’t lie to you, I was very embarrassed to be in this situation. I have a deep sense of modesty, I dislike being put on a pedestal or being seen in a certain way by other people. You could say I had an aversion towards anything risque, but that would be a half-truth.

I didn’t like to be the center of attention during acts like these. I liked being the one to cause these acts, to be the one to make a partner blush.

Of course, I shouldn’t be counting this as a risque act, but it was hard not to due to the small room we both resided in. I was only half naked, but the sense of plastic on my body was enough to cause me to blush. The sense of eyes on me. She told me she would do this with her eyes closed, but thankfully it was a joke.

She’s just getting my measurements. Nothing more, nothing less.

I was at least glad she didn’t know about what I enjoyed. 

I should mention, I don’t like men very much.

I prefer women.

This fact isn’t interesting, but it’s the truth.

At least, I don’t find it very interesting. It’s like a favorite flavor of ice cream. I understood why others made it a part of their identity, but it isn’t fitting of me to do the same thing.

As I was thinking on this, Yoshikata stopped for a second.

“Numachi-senpai, are you okay? Your face is awfully red.”

Oh no, my embarrassment was visible. A thought came through me to admit it to Yoshikata, but I ignored it. It’s not something to worry about right now.

“I’m fine, Yoshikata-san. Can you say you wouldn’t blush in this same situation?”

“Hmm-hmm, you’re right. I was just wondering, why did you ask me to do this in the first place?”

“I’m not very good at taking my own measurements. I don’t think anyone is.”

“Yeah, but it’s just robes, right? They aren’t supposed to fit well.”

“That’s incorrect. A god likes things to be orderly, so someone performing a ritual should be dressed the best they can.”

“Then why did you say we didn’t need to measure your legs?”

“Well—”

“You know, there were a few more rumors about Devil-sama that I forgot to mention, Numachi-senpai.”

Oh no. Please don’t tell me.

“I didn’t like to believe in those rumors myself, they sounded like something someone would make up just to downplay the other rumors. You know, why would a Devil’s sexuality come into their duties?”

Tamatsu, tell me you didn’t.

“Numachi-senpai, do you... like girls?”

You did, didn’t you Tamatsu? You told me you’d spread my deeds, but I didn’t expect this.

Did Tamatsu plan her punishment in advance? Did she tell Yoshikata before she arrived? No, she hasn’t made contact with Yoshikata at all.

“Yoshikata, I can assure you, I did not request assistance measuring my body for any purpose of that nature.”

“You’re avoiding the question, Numachi-senpai.”

“Uh... Maybe I do, maybe I don’t.”

“It’s fine if you do! There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just not something anyone is used to.”

Yoshikata gave me a smile.

“But I’m used to it, so I understand how you feel.”

“You’re... You’re used to it.”

“Yeah. One of our club members is gay. He’s a really sweet guy, probably one of the nicest people I’ve known in my life.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize. That’s good to hear, Yoshikata-san.”

“Of course, that makes me want to confirm it. Do you like girls?”

She won’t let go of that piece of information, won’t she? Well, if she’s used to it, I don’t think there’s any harm in being honest with it.

“... I won’t lie to you. I do.”

“You like girls?”

“I like girls, Yoshikata. There’s nothing more to it.”

“Forgive me for asking, Numachi-senpai, but that makes me curious. I understand you’re bad at measuring yourself, but... do you enjoy getting measured like this?”

There was harm in it. I severely miscalculated.

I can’t admit this. I mean, I wasn’t actually enjoying it at all, it’s just being exposed to someone you barely know. It’s embarrassment, nothing more and nothing less.

“Yoshikata-san, I don’t, I’m merely embarrassed—”

“Don’t worry, Devil-sama, your secret is safe with me! In fact, you shouldn’t feel ashamed at all!”

“Yoshikata, that doesn’t help—”

“Be proud of being felt up inside a department store!”

“I’m not going to—”

“Be proud of who you are! Liking women isn’t a crime! Liking being seen naked by women isn’t a crime either!”

“It is! It actually is a crime!”

She pushed me onto the floor, staring down at me intently.

“Urk...!?”

“I’m not going to do anything special, Numachi-senpai. I don’t feel that way about you yet.”

“Yet?”

“But I won’t try to hold back your feelings. If anyone tries to hold you back, let me know and they won’t see next week.”

“How am I going to let you know after tonight?”

“Right-right, didn’t think about that. I can call one of my friends before the deed and let them know to protect you if anyone tries to stop you from loving who you love.”

“I’m very grateful you’re so supportive of me, Yoshikata, but I think we’re done here.”

“I don’t think so. You asked me to help you for a reason, right?”

“It isn’t for that reason, I promise you—”

“I can see it in your eyes, Devil-sama. I can see the fire has yet to die out.”

She landed on top of me, holding the tape measure.

“Now, let’s get measuring.”


	7. Chapter 7

Apologies for cutting out when it was getting juicy, but this isn’t that kind of story. Let’s just say that I was able to persuade Yoshikata to not strip me naked and we were able to get the things we need and head home for the ritual.

During the ride back home on Yoshikata’s bicycle, I reflected on the situation I was barely able to escape. It reminded me of something from my past, something I almost forgot. Well, more like someone. Someone who Yoshikata could’ve been good friends with, if they lived in the same town. This someone being the only person I’ve ever considered a rival in my life.

For her privacy, I won’t state her name. It’ll bring her more trouble than it’s worth, being tied into this. All I could say about her was that she could give Yoshikata a run for her money when it came to intensity. There were rumors of her escapades —most of which seemed too unrealistic to be true— spread around the various school districts in my hometown. Of course, like all rumors, there are cases where there is some truth in it.

Yoshikata really would’ve loved to meet her. Unfortunately, there were a few things preventing that. The obvious is Yoshikata’s position as someone ready to die; that kind of thing puts a stop to most plans.

The other point is my own failure.

I failed to meet her gaze.

I failed to face her.

I failed.

Born from this failure, a Devil.

I won’t go further into it; not out of difficulty from saying this outright, but there’s really nothing more to say. I failed, from this failure came a devil, and the rest of the story follows. It’s simple and to the point, unlike most things in life. It’s being purposely vague, but I have my reasons.

You can make your own assumptions.

You didn’t come here for mine, did you?

Regardless, our ride to my humble abode drew to a close. Yoshikata was relatively slower on her bike than her usual —possibly due to my disabled status preventing her from abusing speed limits— so we arrived in the span of 30 minutes, give or take. Yoshikata knew the area well and was able to provide me some trivia about our shared neighborhood. Did you know that the outskirts of this village used to be the original village itself? It’s interesting, albeit useless.

Giving Yoshikata directions to my place of stay, I could see Tamatsu standing outside, sitting on the fence next to the building. She was still wearing her school uniform, only this time covering herself with a coat for the cold summer night. She saw us approach and nodded to us. To note, she kept her gaze on Yoshikata, barely acknowledging me.

After a few small pleasantries, I led them both into my temporary housing. The most I can say about where I stayed was the fact I attempted to keep it clean, and failed. It was halfway burned down, holes in the walls and instability with every step. I don’t know if you’ve ever been in an abandoned house in your life, but you can say the feeling of walking in this home was akin to that. Even if I did my best to keep it stable, it fought against me and would soon fall into rubble.

Thankfully, it seemed tonight wouldn’t be the night it did so.

I let them wait in what remains of the living room as I entered the only semi-decent room in the house. The room had no holes in the walls and had a door connecting it to a patio, overlooking the bridge nearby. The patio is where I spent most of my days these past two weeks, a space for me to relax and do my duty.

Although I don’t like to interact with the population outside of my service as The Wandering Devil, I still enjoyed listening to the sounds of nature and said population strolling by. There wasn’t any clear reason for it; only that it soothed me, deep down.We all have some part of ourselves we can’t explain, so I’ve grown comfortable in the mystery.

Preparing for the ritual consisted of taking a quick read through the books we purchased, setting up candles from my own personal supply, and getting myself dressed in robes. It was the whole nine yards. The materials we gathered also specified alcohol —in particular sake— for the ritual but we were all underage so we had to make do with what we had.

It really put everything in perspective, didn’t it? We were unable to buy alcohol. Teenagers, unable to purchase sake to appease a god. It really made me reflect on things.

We were kids, wrapped up in things we never wanted to get wrapped up in.

For Tamatsu, a star.

For Yoshikata, a squid.

For me...

A devil.

Except I’m lying. I accepted the devil, as it accepted me. I accepted it as a condition of the failures in my life. I accepted these failures alongside the devil. I accepted that I can’t ever go back to how things were.

I’m happier this way. If I continued trying to chase after my past, I’d be much worse off. I would be more than a fool, I’d be a lost cause.

I had no doubt in my mind that I might continue on my path in failure. Either Yoshikata would die, or I would not be able to consort to the god at all. There were many possibilities, so much so that I was ignoring them and following my own pace. Some hypocrite I am, following Yoshikata’s philosophy. 

Regardless, I might fail. If I fail... I’d be fine with it. Forget about it, relax, and enjoy my life again. The potential failure tonight does not matter as much as it may for others, especially Tamatsu.

It’s just another one. Yoshikata will get over it.

Everyone gets over a failure in some way or another.

After getting everything set up for the ritual, I headed downstairs into the living room. Since the walls were almost paper thin, I was able to hear Tamatsu and Yoshikata’s arguments almost as clear as me being in the room itself. I didn’t follow the conversation enough to understand the details, but it was easy to gather this information: Tamatsu doesn’t want Yoshikata to die.

They quieted down as I reached the bottom of the steps, both of them sitting at the makeshift table I’ve made from what was collected from the river.

“Everything is ready, we can head up any time you feel comfortable with doing so.” I spoke.

Yoshikata was the only one to reply, as I assumed Tamatsu was giving me the silent treatment.

“Those look stupid on you, Numachi-senpai. Wonder what everyone would think of our very own Wandering Devil in an outfit like that, khehehehe.”

“They would assume I’d be doing my job, Yoshikata-san. Are all of your things in order? Did you call everyone you’ve been meaning to?”

“Everything is settled, there’s nothing else to be done. I’m so excited! I can’t wait to get this started!”

She visibly was. She was almost vibrating in the chair.

“Before we continue, I have a few questions for you, Yoshikata.”

“Lay it on me, Devil-sama.”

“I asked this before and received a fair answer, but I’m still curious. It’s something that has been on my mind ever since I’ve met you.”

I sat down across from her, just to keep our conversation eye level.

“Why do you do the things you do?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your methods as the ‘house’, your duties, you being you. You’ve told me previously it was because you loved hearing about people luckier than you, but I understand it’s not the full picture.”

“It is the full picture. You like to say this a lot, so I’ll repeat it: there’s nothing more to it, Numachi-senpai. I wouldn’t consider what I have fortunate, so I like hearing about people who don’t respect their own fortunes. Making them acknowledge it makes them grow into better people.”

“Do you think you lead by example?”

“...”

She looked a bit unnerved from this question. Time to press further.

“Do you think you’re automatically a good person, having gone through some trouble in your life?”

“No, I don’t. I’m not a good person, and neither are you.”

“I know that. I’ve known that since I’ve started, Yoshikata. If you think you’re making others grow as better people through remembering what they have forgotten, then acknowledge the fact that you believe you’re a better person just by this act alone.”

“I’m not—”

“If your life is nothing but tragedy, then living through memories that make others better people technically makes you a better person just by experiencing them, right?”

“No, not at all.”

“Then why do you do the things you do, Yoshikata? Is it really for the sake of cheap thrills in someone’s good spirits, or is it to live vicariously through them? No, asking this isn’t fair.”

I took out a few pieces of gum and began to chew them.

“They’re both the same thing. You’re taking their good memories along with their money. You plan on giving back the money on a day of celebration, so they can have another good memory in return for what you’ve stolen.”

“...”

Yoshikata was quiet, but she didn’t seem tense. I can tell she was thinking more about this situation. I was doing the same thing.

I needed to clear the room before we started the ritual. Some pieces of information were too important to ignore. Tamatsu seemed to not care much for the conversation at first, spacing out due to her own argument being cut, but I knew she was listening. I wanted her to listen.

Yoshikata finally broke the silence.

“... You can believe whatever you want to believe, Devil-sama.”

“I plan to. You can reject my theory if you want, but I’ll stand by it. It does raise another question I have for you, Yoshikata. I’ll only ask this if you’re comfortable with answering.”

“Go ahead.”

“What happened to your friend’s body?”

The tapping began once more. It felt nostalgic to hear the sound, even though it’s only been half a day since I’ve heard it.

“Her body... was buried. It was buried in the woods.”

“You stated it happened a year ago, and that they’re still looking for the body. I doubt they haven’t found a body by now.”

“They couldn't, it was nowhere near the shrine.”

“Is that the only area they’re exploring, Yoshikata? Have they taken a full year to look for this body just in that area?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know why they aren’t finding it. It really shows how good I am at hiding bodies, right?”

She managed to give me a vague smile. I did my best to return it.

“Fair enough, Yoshikata. I concede. It doesn’t matter too much anyway, does it?”

“Yeah, it doesn’t. It doesn’t matter at all.”

“I think it’s about time we headed upstairs. It’s not good to keep a god waiting.”

I nodded to Tamatsu and got up from my seat, walking up the stairs. Yoshikata quickly followed behind, as did Tamatsu. We went into the now dark upper room, only illuminated by the candles within. It was almost pitch dark, but I was able to clean the floor the best I could. Inside the room, I used the books as a sort of altar for me to stand behind.

As they both got situated, I made sure to speak clean and concisely.

“Yoshikata, the first step today is to calm down your senses. To approach a god, you need to clear your mind the best you can. Let your guard down, take some deep breaths. Follow my lead, keep your head lowered, eyes closed, and take a deep breath. One, two, three...”

Yoshikata followed my orders the best she could, at first she seemed antsy and almost ready to burst, but the breathing exercises calmed her down enough for the next phase.

“Think of an ocean current, crashing against a beach. Think of its rhythmic motions lulling you in, wave by wave.”

The idea I presented her seemed to calm her down enough so that her muscles finally relaxed. Knots untied, ready for use.

I first asked her the obvious question, “How do you feel?”

“I feel... gentle.”

“Gentle?”

“Yeah. Soft.”

“That’s good. Now, I’m going to start asking you some questions.”

“Mmm, I’m ready.”

“Your name?”

“Yoshikata Akiki.”

“What school do you go to?”

“Nijigahara Middle School.”

“What’s your birthday?”

“October 10th.”

She spoke flatly, at a steady pace. Her breathing stayed regular.

“Who’s your favorite author?”

“Ohkubo Atsushi.”

“What’s an embarrassing story from when you were a child?”

“Breaking a light in the gym and getting glass cuts.”

“What kind of classical music do you like?”

“I don’t know any classical music.”

“How did you feel when you graduated elementary school?”

“I was ecstatic, I was finally able to hang out with some of the friends who were ahead of me.”

“What was the boy who was your first love like?”

“I never fell in love with any boys.”

Now, came the important question.

What was underlined on the paper.

“In your life so far, before your meeting with the squid... what experience hurt the most?”

She had no hesitation in what she said, so it threw me off.

I didn’t expect this.

I never would have expected this.

“When I lost my brother. When they couldn’t have him on life support anymore.”

I knew about her brother. I knew about her losing someone close to her. I knew all about Yoshikata’s life, having asked her parents about this situation previously. I knew about the struggle the family had to go through during her brother’s final days, how it almost tore them apart. They’re still in shambles, to this day. Only six years old, taken from us too soon.

I knew all about this.

So why was I surprised?

To answer plainly, it’s not the answer I was expecting. I expected her to admit her guilt over making her best friend desire suicide, due to the situation they’ve given her. This is what her sister told me. Young Yoshikata, running away from her troubles, running to someone troubled. Giving them trauma, giving them pain in their own sense. Her sister knew, since they were close.

Yoshikata gave all of her emotions to someone else. She gave all of the misery, mistakes, pain, love, hate, passion, to one person. And it overwhelmed them. 

Yoshikata told her sister one night, before their trip, about it. How she wanted her friend to forgive her, that it was the most painful emotion in her life.

Guilt.

And yet, Yoshikata told me directly.

It was her brother’s death.

The pain that she gave away.

The pain she ignored.

Yoshikata finally broke the silence after the question.

“Is that everything, Devil-sama?”

I couldn’t speak a single word. All I could do was stare.

Well, I did speak. I spoke without meaning to.

I spoke something deep in my heart. Something that I probably knew since the beginning.

“There’s one more question.”

The tension in the air could snap at any moment.

I’ll snap it myself.

“You aren’t the real Akiki, are you?”


	8. Chapter 8

Yoshikata Akiki.

The girl who has been watered down.

I know you must be confused, since I didn’t provide enough information for you to follow along.

It was of my own volition. I wanted the final moment to be a great climax for the events here. A poetic story with a poetic end.

I just didn’t expect the events to turn out like this.

I’ll explain.

I believed Yoshikata Akiki to be someone who has killed someone else. To remove their negatives, they remove the person who they have given every single negative. A susceptible mind full of wonder, full of spirit and activity. A gifted member of society, a star member of the baseball team. They have their whole life ahead of them.

Then, they meet Yoshikata, and become entranced in her activity, and are harmed by this. They can’t handle her, they can’t handle her passion and drive, they can’t handle all of the skeletons in her closest. Unable to be pulled away, they sink and then become something to be thrown away.

Something to be thrown away by someone in particular. Someone who throws others away.

I believed Yoshikata to be this kind of person from the start. Someone who would use others for their own gain, someone who deludes themselves into a mindset that is beyond repair.

I believed Yoshikata murdered her good friend at night as an offering, so she could be healed from the wounds that constantly regrew.

But I was wrong.

I was far off the mark.

This wasn’t Yoshikata Akiki that was before you this whole time.

This was a fake.

This Yoshikata was silent after I asked the important question. She opened her eyes and began looking around, looking for the Akkorokamui.

She forgot what was important about us.

“You can stop looking around. It won’t show up for some snot-nosed kids playing pretend.”

“Wh... What?”

“Did you think we could summon a god by asking a few questions and thinking hard enough? I thought you were smarter than that, Akiki.”

We were never able to summon gods to begin with. A bunch of teenagers with no training, nor any idea what we were getting into.

A god wouldn’t give us the time, even if it felt pity for us. 

“So we did this for nothing?”

“We did this so I can make you admit you murdered your best friend, but now I’m at a loss for words. I made a few assumptions that have been proven wrong. You should be proud, you beat me, Akiki. Well, I don’t know if it’s appropriate to keep calling you that now.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I think you do. No... I know you do. I don’t know why you’ve been hiding this for so long, but I can tell it was a passion project of yours.”

“Are you crazy? Do you really think I’m pretending to be someone I’m not?”

“No, I think you’re fully someone you are now. I truly believe you to be Yoshikata Akiki. I apologize for my previous remarks, since they were out of line and inaccurate.”

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about—”

“Do you keep that jersey to remember who you were before or do you keep it to make your events more real?”

“I—”

“Did you really believe in what Yoshikata believes in? No, what am I saying. Of course you do.”

“Please, stop—”

“I don’t know if I could stop now, Akiki. Again, I don’t know if I can keep calling you that—”

“ENOUGH.”

She had a firm, commanding voice that filled the room. It was a perfect contrast to her face, which appeared to be almost teary eyed.

Something she can’t control.

“I don’t know who you think you are, but you can’t assume things like this! You promised me you were going to help me, you promised me you were going to set me free!”

“I never had the ability to do so. I knew you were so far in that you weren’t going to listen to anything else, so I followed along with what you requested.”

“Why would you do something like that?!”

“Because I felt sorry for you.”

“You felt sorry?!”

Yoshikata was crying. She was crying more tears than I’ve ever seen her cry, tears almost pooling on the floor.

The candle lights flickered.

The room was broken.

“I felt sorry. I felt sorry, due to a misunderstanding. But I understand now, Akiki. I understand.”

Yoshikata Akiki was not Yoshikata Akiki.

The Yoshikata Akiki before you was something that resembled Yoshikata Akiki for all intents and purposes.

Every single piece of her body, spirit, and drive is Yoshikata Akiki.

But in the core, it’s not.

Yoshikata Akiki had a friend in Middle School she grew to love. This friend loved her back, with all their heart. I’ll refer to this friend as the Fake, from now on.

The Fake believed Yoshikata was something beyond comparison. Idolized her and her nature, idolized her emotional intensity and mannerisms. The Fake’s idolization was not unhealthy, but it was farther than most people’s understanding of idolization.

After Yoshikata dealt with her brother’s death, the flame in her heart dimmed. That flame, something the Fake loved, was dimming further and further. The Fake tried everything they could to fix the damage; listen to her worries, take her stress, take in her everything so that the weight of her worries would vanish and the flame could be ignited once more.

But wounds don’t heal like that.

Wounds never could.

You can’t take in wounds.

That’s a gamble you could never get lucky with.

The Fake couldn’t stand to see her like this, they couldn’t stand the world where it would hurt something close to her. The Fake wanted to die, to escape from this world.

Yoshikata wanted to follow suit.

Everything the Fake didn’t want.

This was the exact opposite of what the Fake wanted her to do. They had no choice, they had no way of stopping her. They knew, deep down, the mistakes they’ve made had no clear end.

And thus, the night of the field trip.

A halfway successful dual suicide.

Yoshikata Akiki, the girl on fire...

Was dead.

And so the Fake cried out, the Fake cried out for someone, anyone to save her.

And so came a god.

First confused as a squid, later known as the Akkorokamui.

The Akkorokamui, like most gods, was a very petty god. It can ignore any and all sense of logic as it sees fit. It can take your deepest desires from your subconscious and make them real.

In this case, it took down two birds with one stone.

The Fake cried out to save Yoshikata Akiki.

But deep down, the god knew why the Fake loved her so.

It knew the Fake wanted to be just like her.

And so...

Thus is thus.

The Yoshikata Akiki we never knew was removed.

And Yoshikata Akiki took her place.

The injury was closed.

Even if the blood type was wrong.

Yoshikata Akiki, as we knew her now, lived a full year like this. Despite her failed attempts at suicide, she did the best she could. She took each day to the fullest, using her understanding of the person she loved to fulfill the role given to her.

But a burn fades.

When a burn fades, it loses what it once was, ever so slightly.

She knew this. She knew she couldn’t continue to represent the idea of Yoshikata Akiki any longer. What was clear in her mind was now entrenched in fog.

Despite that.

Despite everything.

Yoshikata Akiki is alive, and will stay that way.

The very same Yoshikata, now crying on the floor in front of me.

Telling me her life story.

What I’ve told you is a mix of what I can assume and what she told me. It’s 75% her word, 25% mine.

You can take a guess which of these are predictions or not.

Regardless, Yoshikata Akiki was exposed. Unable to cope, she laid on my floor, tears pooling, voice weak. Tamatsu was watching, but as always kept her mouth shut.

Just keep watching, Tamatsu.

It will be over soon.

“I’m envious of you, Akiki. You were able to do something no one could ever do in their lives.” I spoke, taking my last remaining pieces of gum and chewing them.

She could only weakly respond.

“Shut up...”

“Sorry if I struck a nerve. I think you did the best you could in the situation you were in. In fact, you did better than what others would do in your situation.”

“I don’t care...”

“For example, if I was in your same position, I’d fail on the second day. Maybe the third. They would’ve known something was up the first minute of meeting me, in fact.”

“I don’t care. I don’t care. I don’t care. I don’t care...”

“What say you, Tamatsu? How far do you think you would—”

“Why are you doing this to me, Numachi...”

“Hmm?”

Yoshikata looked up from that pool of tears by her face. Her face was wounded, but her voice was steady.

“Why didn’t you run away?”

“Run away?”

“Why did you decide to stick around...? Everything you told me, everything you’ve done... I thought you would run, but you didn’t. Are you having fun? Is that why you didn’t run away, you thought this would be fun?”

“Well, I do love misery.”

“Fuck you.”

“That language isn’t suitable for a girl like you, Akiki.”

“Fuck you. Die in a hole.”

“I don’t plan on it.”

“Why are you doing this? Doesn’t this go against everything you believe in?”

“What is it I believe in, Akiki?”

“You believe in running away.”

“Is that your reading of me?”

“It’s the only reading I could have.”

“Well, I won’t lie, I think it’s better than most options.”

“Then why didn’t you pick it? You could’ve left me to rot.”

“Is that what you wanted to do? Rot?”

“It’s exactly what you tell everyone else to do! ‘Forget about it, I’ll take care of it’, right?! Why didn’t you take care of it?!”

She was vocal, almost to the point of the floor against her face shaking. To admit, the floor was falling apart slightly.

“Is this what you call taking care of it!?”

“I did nothing, Akiki.”

“This isn’t nothing!! This is clearly something!!”

“This is nothing. You have a clear misunderstanding of what I do, and how this works.”

I spit out my gum in the packet, bundling it up into a small ball.

I made sure to speak with clarity.

“When people contact me, they tell me their problems. Their actual problems. The little inconveniences in their life are problems, however small they are. When you told me you wanted to die, Akiki, you didn’t tell me in full why you were running away.”

“...”

“You told me this backstory full of half truths from Yoshikata Akiki’s life in order to pretend to have a problem that needs to be solved. To be fair, what you have here is a problem, but you didn’t acknowledge it as such at the time. In fact, you didn’t see any of Yoshikata’s life as a problem before, did you?”

She remained quiet, staring at me with her deep eyes. I couldn’t tell if they were full of loathing or sadness. Making an assumption on that isn’t fitting of me.

“You didn’t see any of her issues as issues, since they helped make Yoshikata Akiki. You accepted them, they were a part of someone you loved. But you had an issue. You had a problem that you never acknowledged directly. Since I’m generous, I’ll help you bring it to the surface: you can’t be Yoshikata Akiki anymore, can you?”

Her eyes never blinked during this time. An unbreakable stare. She stopped crying, but there was so much force in that stare it was hard for me to stand here without feeling threatened.

But I continued.

“I can’t help you run away if you don’t know what you’re running from. Everyone who has ever contacted me has acknowledged their problems and have decided to call me so they can be resolved. You can now join them, as you figured out you have a problem, and have had a problem for quite some time.”

“What am I supposed to do with it...” She finally spoke out from her silence, lazily closing her eyes.

“You can always give me a call.”

“I never want to see you again...”

“You have every right to feel that way. This was something I shouldn’t have done, but I did.”

Yoshikata stayed silent for a few seconds, finally getting up from her spot and sitting down, back against the wall.

“Devil-sama... Are you happy?”

“Am I happy?”

“Yeah...”

“I think a better question is... Are you, Akiki?”

She started to laugh, a low laugh underneath her breath.

“... No, I’ve never been happy.”

“Do you now know why?”

“Yeah... Yeah, I do.”

“Why do you feel unhappy?”

“I could never live without her.”

She raised her hand towards one of the candles, almost reaching out to it.

“If she saw me like this... I don’t know. I don’t know what she would say. She probably would have told me to stick with it so I could break a few bones for her.”

“Was she violent?”

“By god’s good grace, she was. She was always trying to hurt other people she thought were hypocrites. She had so much hate in her heart for them.”

“With so much hate in her, I’m curious why you looked up to her.”

“Because she was more than that, so much more. I’ve never met anyone with a mind like hers. Hahaha, you should’ve seen her eyes light up when we talked about Shogi. She could talk for hours about it. She had such a firm way of thinking about it.”

“Is she what got you into gambling?”

“I never would have touched it without her. God... Why did you have to take her away...”

She huddled up in that corner of hers, covering her face with her arms.

“Well, I’m glad I was able to meet her.” I spoke, rubbing the back of my neck.

“Don’t joke around like that.”

“I wasn’t joking, Akiki. I mean every word I say.”

“You would’ve hated her if you met her. She hated types like you.”

“And she would have every right feeling this way. I probably would not have gotten along with the old one, but I still can see the impact Yoshikata Akiki has made as a person.”

“What impact...?”

“I’m looking at it right now.”

I walked to the room’s door downstairs and opened it for her, nudging my head towards the opening.

“Tell your parents the sleepover was called off.”

“They aren’t my parents—”

“Until you address your new problem, then I don’t think it’s right to treat them like that. They still loved you this whole year, didn’t they?”

“If they knew about me, they wouldn’t...”

“That could be true, but that could also be wrong. I wouldn’t assume these kinds of things, Yoshikata-san.”

Yoshikata sat up from the floor, wiping her face with her hand. She looked at me one more time, her eyes finally dimmed to a sleepy demeanor instead of the intense stare from earlier. 

“Devil-sama...”

“What is it, Yoshikata-san?”

“Did you... enjoy my misery? Did you like it?”

I felt admitting this would not be the right thing to do.

It would be a despicable act.

But you know me by now.

“I did. I enjoyed listening to your misery. I had the time of my life.”

Yoshikata looked at me and smiled. It was a bright smile, one full of glow.

“I hate you, Numachi-senpai! I hate you with all my heart!”

She then went off, almost running down the stairs and exiting my house. You could hear her quick footsteps across the pavement outside, a reminder of the deed done today.

I could only sigh, scratching my face and looking at the other guest in the house.

Tamatsu Uchuu.

Tamatsu was still in the room.

Tamatsu, quiet as she could be.

During the horror story of tonight’s recollection, she was as silent as a mouse, her face never changing. For those who didn’t know Tamatsu, this look could be off-putting, but charming over time. I could only ignore her as I opened the door to my porch, leaving it open so I could sit and stare out into the night.

I needed to think about things.

I needed to think.

Tamatsu sat right next to me on the porch, still never changing.

Still quiet, still silent.

I could only break the silence.

“Your help was appreciated, Tamatsu. I doubt I would’ve been able to be forward with her if you weren’t there for moral support.”

“I did nothing.”

“When you do nothing, it lets me know you’re ready to do anything.”

“I don’t know what that means, Devil-kun.”

“It doesn’t really mean anything, I don’t know what I’m saying.”

We stared out into the night sky. A quiet night, a peaceful night. A simple night.

“Devil-kun... I apologize.”

“For what? Are you sorry for saying you hated me?”

“No, not that. For threatening to kill you.”

“Don’t be sorry about that, you had every right to threaten my life. You didn’t know if I had everything under control, right?”

“It looked like you were willfully about to throw her life away as a joke.”

“Hahaha, I almost was at that point. There was a point tonight where I was this close to trying to see how to beat a god at racing to kill the brat.”

“That’s not a very funny joke.”

“Yeah yeah, you’re right.”

Beautiful stars, in the sky. I couldn’t name them, nor could I ever see what symbols they could be up there. They looked to be a mosaic of lights in a dark room.

“Tamatsu... Do you think I did the right thing?”

“You didn’t, but I don’t know what else could be done. I’ve... never seen anything like this.”

“I have, a few times actually. It happens a lot with grade school students, they see someone they look up to and they want to be just like them. So they act just like them. This was just an extreme of that kind of idea.”

“That’s over-simplifying someone’s trauma.”

“It’s the only thing I got. There’s nothing more to it.”

The moon was almost at its full phase, so there wasn’t a single inch of that sky not coated in stars. As I stared at the stars, she put her head right on my arm.

“Tamatsu, you know I can’t—”

“Please, Numachi. Just this once.”

“...”

I couldn’t argue with her, so I let her.

I let this alien lean her head against me in comfort.

We were like this for some time. Tamatsu was the next one to break the silence.

“Why did you accept this job?”

“Hmm? You were the one who gave it to me.”

“I did, but I didn’t expect you to accept it.”

“You told me you did.”

“I lied.”

“That isn’t very nice, Tamatsu.”

She began to laugh. It was a sweet laugh, it calmed me down.

“You still didn’t answer my question, Devil-kun.”

“Well, I don’t really know myself. You forced me into your situation, but this wasn’t me being forced at all.”

“Mmhm.”

“I guess you could say... I made a mistake. I got pressured by you, so I went into this head first based on something stupid.”

“Was it about your leg?”

“It was. She didn’t have a part.”

“Why did you stick with it then, Devil-kun?”

“What, are you going to ask me the same questions Yoshikata did? Hahaha, well I can’t say I didn’t deserve this.”

“I’m only curious.”

“I might answer your question, but I’m curious about your own observation, Tamatsu.”

“I think... I think you like helping other people. I think deep down, you want to help others.”

“That’s a lie, Tamatsu. You weren’t helped, and neither was Yoshikata.”

“But you tried, didn’t you Devil-kun?”

“This was nothing.”

“You did something today.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“You did.”

“Nope.”

“You did so.”

“Not at all.”

We continued like this for a few more minutes, laughing along. It was a good, painless laugh. A quiet, blissful night.

“Tamatsu, I have one more question.”

“Yes, Devil-kun?”

“Do you still believe you’re an alien?”

“Believing in facts is a strange way of thinking, Devil-kun, but I still do.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I’m glad you know what you are. I’m glad you know what you know.”

“Even if there are a lot of things I wish I didn’t know.”

Same here, Tamatsu.

Same here.


	9. Chapter 9

In my opinion, this whole thing was less of a story and more of a depressing afterword. To close this afterword in full, I can supply this information.

The next morning, July 18th, I received an early morning call from Yoshikata before she started school. She wanted to see me, to talk with me one final time. I obliged, of course.

Once I arrived, she wasn’t wearing her baseball cap or jersey anymore. She still wore the boy’s shirt instead of the girl’s, but now her delinquent appeal was diminished. I liked this one better, even the great amounts of her actual hair color inches from the roots was charming in a way.

We talked pleasantries, nothing really important. She seemed fine, seemed to understand her place well enough. I offered my duties one more time, but she declined and told me something simple:

“I’d like to try to figure this out on my own.”

There was no way I could argue with that.

She told me something interesting she found out when delivering the mail to my colleague. The person in the mail room was stupid enough to tell her who owned the P.O. box. 

“The dude setting it up was named Oshino Meme, yet the old kook looked like the grim reaper. How did he end up with a cute name like that?”

Yoshikata was cute in replicating the mail-woman’s mannerisms, it made me laugh a bit. I told her this Oshino wasn’t my colleague, nor did I know who this Oshino was. Most likely it was a name they thought up on the spot, which is now tied to this town for good.

As we said our goodbyes, it got me thinking about mail. Even though I don’t get a lot of callers, having my own P.O. box could be nice in receiving others worries. I can’t afford one, but I can make do with just about anything.

That’s the only thing I learned during these past few days. Nothing else, just an idea for how to improve my duties. If you think there’s any more, you’re sorely mistaken.

The devil is simple.

**Author's Note:**

> Monogatari is a very important work for me, coming in during one of the most stressful moments of my life. It was a point of realized trauma, and Monogatari exposed bits of that trauma to me and helped me realize who I am as a person. For better or for worse is depending on your view.  
> While NisiOisiN can say his writing of Monogatari was purely out of self indulgence, I can say I began Akiki Squid out of pure obligation.  
> If someone or something does something for you, you have to give back, right?  
> I had a lot of fun returning what I borrowed, too much fun in fact. I won’t ask you to forgive me for having too much fun, but I wouldn’t doubt at some point you asked me why I had so much fun with it during your read.  
> Well, I have no excuses. Neither should you.  
> I hope you enjoyed the first part of KARIMONOGATARI: Akiki Squid.


End file.
